


Into the Woods

by TheWildThing



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-16
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2018-05-20 23:33:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 77,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6029644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWildThing/pseuds/TheWildThing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yang and Ruby move to a new town after being kicked out of their old town for being different. Yang and Ruby have always been alone. After moving into their new home in a cabin right outside of the town they start to notice how different this new town truly is. Eventually WhiteRose and Bumblebee.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome Home

**AN: I would like to thank anyone who decides to read this fic. I will try my best to update regularly. I will be playing around with the POV. The story is centered around Yang and Ruby. If you have any questions, comments, or input please comment! I currently do not have an editor to proofread so it might not be perfect. Anyways, enjoy!**

**Chapter 1**

**Welcome Home**

Yang was beginning to get restless. She had lost track of time since she and Ruby had entered the train and began the journey to their new home. It had been at least 2 days of traveling so far. Yang looked out the window. It was night but the moon was bright enough to lighten the surrounding. All she could see around them was thick dense forest. It had been like that for at least a day. Where Ruby and her had lived before it would have been considered a concrete jungle. This move was going to take some time to get use to.

Yang didn’t know much about the town they were moving to. They had been kicked out of school and the town had already disliked them to begin with. Their father was never around because of work. Yang’s mother left them when Yang was very young. Her father remarried and together they had Ruby, her half-sister. Ruby’s mother, Summer Rose, was amazing. Sadly an accident at work had caused her death and with their father always gone that left Yang and Ruby alone to grow up. It wasn’t easy.

Yang was now 17 years old. She had purple eyes and blonde hair. She was pretty tall compared to other girls her age. She admired her fathers work and practiced kick boxing to be like him. She was muscular and it intimidated a lot of people at her school. She wasn’t the smartest person at school but she made up for it with her social skills. She tried to always give off a warm and happy presence. She had a lot of problems but she tried her best to not deal with them and put her sisters problems in front of her own.

Yang loved adventure and freedom to do what she wants. That became a problem at school because she would always get in trouble. It wasn’t uncommon for her to get into fights or set something ablaze. She was extremely protective and hotheaded.

Ruby lay asleep next to Yang on the train. She had been asleep for awhile. She had worn herself out with all the excitement of moving. She did not like her old town at all. She always felt like her and Yang were out of place and didn’t belong her. She was hoping this new town would be different.

Ruby was 15 years old. She was very short compared to Yang. She had silver eyes and black hair with red tips. She loved wearing blacks, reds, and grays. People never guess that she and Yang are related. Yang was always very bright in both personality and in physical appearance. The only thing that looked the same about the two girls was their pale complexion.

Ruby was a very quiet kid at their old school. She didn’t have friends and kept to herself. People had always picked on her and she could never understand why. It was because of how she looked, or acted, her interests, basically anything about her. The only person she talked to was Yang. She had depression and some days it was hard to even get out of bed but she was thankful she had such an amazing sister. Yang always tried her best to get her to smile.

Since Ruby and Yang were very young their father had told them they were different. At first they thought that was just his way of saying they were special and unique. One day Yang got into a fight with some older boys at school for messing with her hair. They pushed her to the ground and she scraped her knee. She got up and just started pounding the other boys until they ran away crying. She looked in a near by mirror to clean up her cuts and look at her bruises and realized she was glowing and her eyes were red. She ran home and showed her dad. Her dad sat her down and explained what he meant by being different.

He told her that she had something called a semblance. Not a lot of people had them. People who did have them were used to protect others by joining the army or becoming a huntress. He said no one in their town had semblances and they were considered dangerous. He told her not to use it.

Since her father was rarely home Yang felt the need to master her newly discovered powers. She did research and trained her body. It took a long time but she finally started to understand what her power was. She absorbs energy from damage she takes and uses it to become stronger. The more she uses it the stronger and faster she gets. At a certain level her eyes change from purple to red and her hair begins to glow brighter and brighter. Her built herself Ember Celica to make herself even stronger. The weapon just amplified her powers and she kept finding her ways to use it. They were dual ranged gauntlets that also could be used as a shotgun.

Ruby found out what her power was by accident one day when she was at home playing tag with Yang. Yang was chasing after her and suddenly Ruby sped up. Both of them froze when they realized that speed was Ruby’s power. They both were excited. Ruby was extremely fast. Sometimes it looked like she was teleporting. She left a trail of red rose petals wherever she went.

Yang thought it would be fun to make a weapon for Ruby and one summer they spent building and planning what to make. Yang was surprised Ruby wanted to make scythe but they did it. The scythe ended up being taller than Ruby and could turn into a sniper rifle. Her scythe could fold up and she kept it with her at all times. Yang wore her weapon like bracelets. She told Ruby she couldn’t use her weapon unless she had to and no one should know about her special power.

Yang kept staring out the window thinking about her childhood when suddenly she was pulled back into the present by a boy saying hello. Ruby jumped up and was now awake. Both sisters looked infront of them at a blonde haired boy.

“Sorry to bother you girls. The trains basically empty and I thought I would stop by and say hello. My names Jaune Arc.” He looked at them both and smiled.

“Hey there Jaune. So out of curiosity, do you know anything about the town this trains heading to? We had to move suddenly.” Yang said with a smile

“Is it cool? Whats considered fun there?” Ruby said after starting to wake up.

“Well, the towns name is called Vale. As you can tell by the ride there, its in the middle of no where. The town is special because with semblances live there and use their powers all the time. The town has lots of places to shop and hang out. It is very nice. Next to the town is a giant wall with an iron gate though. Never go outside that gate. I have never done it but people have told me some crazy stories about it. There are monsters out there apparently. Some people come back cursed. Most people never come back at all. Theres so many stories about that place.” The boy looked at them worried.

“Some people think the whole towns cursed and doomed” The boy started to shake and stand up. “I have to go. We are almost there.”

Yang and Ruby looked at each other. Ruby looked worried and Yang saw the look in her eyes. Yang gave her a huge grin and hugged her. “Don’t worry Ruby. This is going to be a new adventure. And guess what!!! You can use your speed whenever you want! I can use my power as well.”

“I guess so. I’m just nervous. I don’t really believe in curses and stuff.” Ruby said and smiled slightly at Yang.

After a few minutes the train stopped and they were finally in Vale. The city looked like a regular city to them. They grabbed their bags and started to walk into town.

“So where’s our new home?” Ruby said while eyeing the new surrounding.

“Well I got the address and I have a map. It shouldn’t be to hard to find.” Yang replied back to her.

“We should ask someone. You know you are not the best with directions.” Ruby said in a serious tone.

“We don’t need help. We are masters! Lets go Ruby. I think it’s a few streets over.” Yang grabbed Ruby’s hand and they started running down the street.

A few hours later and they were still wondering around. They were now at the edge of the town it was starting to get dark.

“Yang please tell me you finally figured out where our house is. I’m tired.” She said as she was dragging her feet. Her arms were sore from carrying her bags all day.

“Yeah of course I know where it is, baby sis. It should be a few miles past this giant gate.” She said as they both approached a giant iron gate covered in ivy.

“Didn’t the boy say that its dangerous past this gate? Yang I have a bad feeling about this” Yang had already started opening the gate and walking inside.

“Don’t worry baby sis. I will always be here to make sure you are safe. Nothing is going to hurt you.” Yang turned to Ruby and said with a warm smile.

Ruby instantly felt better and followed Yang inside and past the gate. They both smiled and talked about what they thought the house would look like. They already had decorating ideas in mind but before they did any of that they both agreed that a nice hot meal was long over due. They were sick of the food they had on the train.

Finally they found their new house. A wooden fence with a few burnt out lampposts surrounded a garden. The pathway in the garden led up to a cute wood cabin. Ruby sped ahead and opened the doors. Yang followed in after her. The house wasn’t huge but it had plenty of room for the two of them. They entered into the living room which had two couches and a tv, next to the living room was the kitchen. The kitchen had a table and a few chairs. There was a bathroom and a door that led to the basement. On the second floor there were 4 bedrooms to choose from and a ladder that led to the attic. Ruby picked her room and put her bags inside. Yang figured out how to get the heat to start working and turn the power on.

“I like this house a lot. It already comes with a tv and it had a fireplace. Theres so many rooms. We can make one of the bedrooms into a gaming room. Unless we want the basement to be the gaming room. Up to you Ruby. What do you think about this place?” Yang said

“I love it! I honestly kind of like that we are all the way out here and away from everyone. We can still go into town but I feel like we can do some much out here. We can finally be ourselves.” Ruby was jumping with joy.

“Welcome home Ruby.” Yang said and hugged her little sister.

 


	2. Red Moon

**AN: Wow, Thank you everyone for taking the time to read this. I have a lot of ideas and plans for this story and more stories. This is actually my first fic I have written. I hope you all enjoy it! I would love your input and ideas!**

**Chapter 2**

**Red Moon**

The following week went by in a blur. Yang and Ruby started to unpack but realized how messy their new home really was. The cabin was coated in a layer of dust and dirt. The whole house had to be scrubbed down. The unused appliances had to be cleaned, along with the furniture. The curtains and bedding were dirty and shredded so they decided to make a run to town buy new ones.

            While they were out shopping they ran into the boy on the train again. Jaune was very friendly and happy to run into them again. He introduced Ruby and Yang to his friends. The first girl was very chatty and hyper. Her name was Nora. She had light red hair and was very short compared to the other friends. She was standing next to Lie Ren. He was very quiet and seemed to balance out Nora’s outgoing personality. He had black hair with a pink streak in it. The last friend of the group was Pyrrha. She was very formal with her greeting but seemed like a nice person. She had auburn hair.

            They all chatted for a few minutes and then parted their ways. Jaune was a bit taken back by the fact that Ruby and Yang had moved into a cabin in the woods outside of town. The whole group seemed a bit stunned. Yang felt like there was something about the woods that the group wasn’t telling them but let it slide. She knew they would find out at some point. They had come back into town so obviously it couldn’t have been that cursed.

            After shopping they headed back to the cabin. It was a bit cold out since it was the middle of October. “So Ruby, are you nervous about starting school tomorrow?” Yang said to her sister as they started heading into the woods. The sun was starting to set.

            “Actually I think I’m excited for once. We are going to a school that doesn’t just teach liberal arts. It’s a school full of people like us. Everyone has their own unique power and weapon. I cant wait to see them all. Im not going to lie though. I’ve never been good at making friends. I wish I had a class with you.” Ruby responded as she started to fiddle with the pockets of her hoodie.

            “You’re going to do great Ruby. People will love you. Mom would be proud of you.” Yang smiled.

            They walked in silence for awhile until they reached the house. Yang took note that they would have to fix the lamppost and paint the fence around their house when they had time. They walked up to the door and unlocked it.

            Yang went over to the fire place and threw a few logs into it and started a fire. “Hey Yang. How do you think lived here before us? It looks like whoever it was left in a hurry. It took us a whole week to clean the rooms and we havn’t even tackled the basement or attic.” Ruby said as she plopped onto the couch.

            “I don’t know but no one has lived here for awhile. How about this weekend we clean the basement and make it into a gaming room?” Yang said as she gathered the blankets and started heading upstairs. Ruby jumped off the couch and ran after her.

            “That sounds awesome! You are seriously the best sister ever.” Ruby said while giggling.

            “I would hope so. I am your only sister after all.” Yang stuck her tongue out. She made her bed and Ruby’s. Ruby jumped on her bed and Yang started to walk out but stopped in the doorway.

            “Ruby don’t forget. Tomorrow is a full moon.” Yang stared at her with a seriously look on her face.

            “I know. I’ll make sure I’m back before it’s even dark.” Ruby’s voice dropped down and became lower.

            “Do you need me to meet up with you after class? I get out before you but I can wait.” Yang walked up to the girl and placed her hand on Ruby’s shoulder.

            “No Yang it’s fine. I can walk back myself. Don’t worry about me.” Ruby smiled slightly.

            “I love you Ruby.” Yang gave her sister a huge bear hug and then walked out of the room and closed the door.

            “I love you too.” Ruby whispered. She slowly closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.

_Ruby walked along the wooded path. It was dark out but the moon guided her. The only sounded she could her was the rustling of leaves and the crunching of leaves under her feet._

_Her head was pounding and she could feel herself breaking into a fever. Her heart rate was rapidly increasing. She placed her red hood over her head and tried to keep going. She tried to ignore all the pain that was just increasing after every step she took, after every breath she took. She had no clue was she was walking. The night wind howled and pushed against her back as if it was leading her where to go. She kept going._

_Soon she stood before a giant castle. Unlike many other abandon houses she had found in the woods, this castle seemed polished and well maintained. The iron gates that separated the small girl from the castle were huge. In the center of the gates was a large crystal snowflake._

_Ruby fell to her knees and grunted in pain. Her head was pounding. It felt like her mind was screaming at her. She could never tell what it was saying. She closed her eyes and begged for the pain to stop. It only got louder. Soon it felt like she was going to explode. Her whole body hurt. She opened her eyes and tried to get on her feet._

_That’s when she noticed the gate had opened and suddenly it was snowing. At least a foot of snow had fallen since she had closed her eyes. She struggled to her feet and started to take a step pass the gate._

            Ruby wake up! You have to get ready! We don’t want to be late for our first day at school! Ruby woke up and was shaking. Yang was on her bed smiling at her. She had a plate of pancakes with her and handed them to Ruby.

            “I’m going to take the first shower!” Yang jumped off the bed and dashed out to the bathroom.

            After about an hour of showering and getting dressed, the two girls headed out to their first day of school. Yang was in a good mood and was humming a tune while they walked into town and toward school. Ruby was silent and was thinking about her dream. It was the 4th time she had the dream since they moved here. There couldn’t be a giant castle in the woods though. This weekend she was definitely going to go explore. She would go tonight but she promised Yang she would stay indoors during a full moon.

            Ruby decided to shake the dream off her mind for now and focus on her first day of classes. She wanted to show everyone that she was strong. She wanted to use her powers to help others, just like her mother did.

            They both reached the school. Yang hugged her sister. “Good luck, baby sis. You’ll do great.” Yang hugged tighter.

            “Try to stay out of fights. Promise Yang?” Ruby teased her.

            “No promises but I’ll do my best. I’ll see you this afternoon at home.” Yang waved as they both went their separate ways.

            Yang smiled as she walked down the halls. She knew this whole would be a lot better for both of them. She knew Ruby would be happier. She needed this. Their last school was horrible and after Ruby’s mother died she knew Ruby was struggling. People always picked on her and Ruby. She didn’t care what those people said about her but whenever they said anything about Ruby, it set something off inside of her. She knew Ruby would be upset if she knew the last fight was got into was because people were making fun of her.

            Yang entered her first class and found an empty desk in the back of the room. She introduced herself in front of the class. When she mentioned she lived in the woods, the whole class started to whisper at each other.

            “Great. I hope this whole _living in the woods_ thing wasn’t going to cause any problems for Ruby.” Yang thought to herself. She got out her notebook and started to doodle as the teacher lecture.

            She repeated this process in every class until it was her lunch time. Yang walked out into the courtyard where upperclassmen had lunch and looked for a spot to sit down and eat. In the distance she saw a shaded tree with someone sitting under it. She decided that would be a nice place to sit and walked over to it.

            Wonder the tree sat a girl Yang had recognized was in all her classes. She sat in the back of the classrooms, like Yang did, and wrote notes. The girl had a white tshirt on and a black sweater. She wore black tights. She had a black necklace on and a bow in her black hair. She had yellow eyes that took out. Yang thought the girl looked beautiful. There was one thing Yang couldn’t stop thinking about though.

            The girl never once smiled. She didn’t even grin. The girl didn’t speak to anyone in any class and no one sat next to her or ate with her. Yang decided her goal was to make her smile.

            “Hey my name’s Yang. Whats yours? Mind if I sit and eat with you?” Yang smiled and sat herself down next to the girl.

            “My names Blake. You’re the new girl right? The one who lives in the woods? I don’t think it’s a good idea if you sit with me.” Blake said to her coldly.

            “Why is that? Did I do something?” Yang said. She hoped she didn’t offend the girl.

            “ _He_ won’t like it if I’m talking to other people. Anyways you’re new. I don’t want to destroy your chances to make friends here. If you’re seen with me it wont be good for either of us. I’m different.” Blake responded. She looked sad. She kept her head down and looked at her feet.

           Yang looked at her for a second and it suddenly clicked. “So what. Before Ruby and I moved here we were considered freaks and outcasts. I don’t care what other people think. I don’t know who _he_ is but I like you and want to get to know you. I saw you in all my classes and I didn’t see you smile once. Now its my goal to make you smile. I don’t fail.” Yang said with a serious tone of voice.

            “You don’t understand. I can’t. I don’t want him to get angry.” Blake got up and walked away. Yang just sat there and stared at her lunch until it was time to go back to class.

            “I’m going to get her to smile.” Yang got up and headed back inside for class.

            The day continued on fairly smoothly. Yang noticed Blake was in all her afternoon classes and sat next to her in the back. She decided not to try talking to her again that day because she didn’t want to seem forceful on the girl.

            Finally class ended and Yang walked out of the building and started heading home. It was starting to rain so Yang walked quickly home. When she got home and laid down on the couch and turned on the tv. She ended up falling asleep and taking a nap.

            She woke up and looked out the window. It was dark outside. She turned and looked at the clock and noticed it was almost 2:00am. We started walking into the kitchen to look for Ruby and noticed she wasn’t there.

            “Hey Ruby! How were classes? Sorry I fell asleep.” Yang called out into the house.

            There was no answer. Yang got worried and ran up the stairs. “Ruby, where are you?” Still no answer.

            Yang was starting to get worried and looked at every inch of the house looking for her sister. She pulled out her phone to text her. She waited a few minutes for a reply. Ruby was always very good at answer texts and called. After 10 minutes there was still no answer back from Ruby. Yang grabbed her hoodie and ran out of the house. The moon was full and shining above her in the night sky. It was pouring down rain.

            “Where is she? I told her to come home.” Yang thought to herself as she went running in the woods and headed toward town.

 


	3. As You're pretty, So Be Wise

**Chapter 3**

**As You’re Pretty, So Be Wise**

            Yang had no idea where she was running or where Ruby could even have gone. They had only been here for a week and Ruby spent most her time at their house or in the garden in front of their house. She didn’t know where to begin searching at all. She just kept running. She was in “Baby Sister Protect” mode and all rational thinking in her mind was gone.

            She quickly entered the town. Most buildings were dark and empty and no one was on the street. It was 2:00am. This was to be suspected. Yang ran down each street she came across and each street ended with the same results. They were silent and empty. Yang was soaking wet. The storm had become stronger since she left the house.

            She ran up to the school building and started screaming Ruby’s name. The only answer she got was the echo of her own voice. Her stomach started to hurt and she felt like she was going to be sick. She kept running. She was blindly searching for her baby sitter in a town she barely knew. She kept screaming Ruby’s name. Her voice was becoming shakey and she could feel the panic in her voice.

            Then suddenly Yang stopped in her place. She was out of breath and breathing hard. Across the street from her she saw someone. It was the first person she had seen since she started running through town. The figure stood stiff and was slowly walking away from her.

            Yang decided to walk to the person and catch up. Maybe she knew where Ruby had gone or had seen the girl.

            Each step Yang took toward the figure she realized more of the features of the person in front of her. It was Blake. She was wearing the same clothes she had on at school but was soaking wet. Her pale arms stuck to the sweater she was wearing and she was hugging her body for warmth. The bow on her head was drooping down. She looked upset and cold.

            That’s when Yang decided she needed to help this girl. She had no idea where Ruby was but she knew Ruby could handle herself. She had done this during other full moons before. In front of her was someone who needed her help at that moment and Yang knew she could help her. She had no idea what the girl was feeling but at least she could take Blake somewhere warm and dry.

            She quickly caught up to Blake and gently placed her hand on the girls shoulder. Blake didn’t respond and just stood there frozen. Yang turned and stood in front of her and saw her face. She looked drained of energy. Her golden eyes had dark circles under them. Blake looked likely shocked when she saw it was Yang who grabbed her attention.

            “Yang what are you doing out here?” Blake said Yang. Her voice quiet and shaking.

            “Well I was hoping you could help me with some homework.” Yang said to her with an awkward nervous laugh.

            “Yang, its 3:00am. That’s bullshit.” Blake’s tone became flat.

            “Really? Well I just wanted to get ahead. Why don’t we go to my place and study? Its dry.” She smiled slightly.

            Blake just stared at her. She didn’t know how to feel. She could see through the lie very quickly and could tell Yang just wanted to get her out of the rain. It was so hard to trust people though. Yang was new in town. Even though the girl was taller then her by at least a head and was way more muscular then her, Blake felt like she was just trying to help. She seemed as harmless as a teddy bear. Blake did have to question why the blonde was out in town so late though if she lived in the woods.

            “Fine. Lets go.” Blake said

            “Awesome. Follow me.” Yang started walking and Blake followed her.

            Soon they were entering the woods. The rain only seemed to be getting heavier but once they entered the woods the trees above them started to shade them from the storm.

            They approached the house and entered the living room. Blake stood there awkwardly. She had no idea what to do. Yang ran to the fireplace and quickly started a fire. Yang gestured to the couch and Blake sat down.

            “Make yourself at home. I’ll be right back.” Yang smiled and ran upstairs. Blake sat in silence. She looked around the room. She saw the tv, the clock, some paintings on the walls. What really stood out to her was a bookshelf that was filled with books. She studied the books closer and smiled when they were old classics and adventures. She thought they could be all the popular teenage angst books that everyone at school reads.

            Yang entered the room and smiled at her. “Here I brought some dry clothes since yours are all wet.” Yang handed her the clothes. Blake looked at Yang and saw that the blonde had already changed into some dry clothes. Her blonde locks were still dripping from the rain. Her hair looked so bright. It looked like it was almost glowing.

            “Thanks.” Blake smiled slightly and took the clothes.

            “Hey I almost got you to smile. I told you I could do it. Ill make us some hot tea while you change.” Yang grinned and went into the kitchen. Blake started to take off her wet clothes. She froze when she realized that Yang had handed her shorts and a tank top to wear. “Hopefully she wont notice.” Blake thought to herself.

            She put the clothes on and sat back on the couch. Yang came back in holding two mugs. Yang placed the mugs on the table and sat down on the couch next to her. Yang turned and looked at her and her eyes grew wide and her body tensed up. She quickly turned to Blake and put both hands on her shoulders.

            “Who did this to you?” Yang said. Her purple eyes stared deep into Blakes gold eyes.

            “I fell.” Blake said tonelessly.

            “Don’t you dare give me that. You have scars all over your arms and legs. You have bruises and cuts. I bet you have more under your clothes as well. The bruises look like hands. I just want to help.” Yang looked like she was getting angry. Her hands started to shake and grab on to Blake tighter.

            “You can’t help. This has been happening for awhile. Its okay. I deserve it.” Tears started to slide down Blakes face.

            “No one deserves this. Is it because you’re a faunus that you think its ok?” Yang was getting more tense.

            “How did you know?” blake felt like she was going to break down.

            “The rain messed up your bow. Plus you’re eyes are gold.” Yang answered back.

            “Then you should hate me like everyone else.” Blake was shaking.

            “Why the hell would I hate you for being what you are. I think your eyes and ears are beautiful. You look unique and special and I know what it feels like to have people pick on you for being different. Ruby and I have been dealing with it since we were children. I remember you said at lunch that _he_ would get mad if we talked. Who is he? Hes the one doing this to you.” Yang was almost screaming.

            Blake was afraid to look Yang in the eyes. She sighed and finally spoke. “His name is Adam. He’s my boyfriend. He doesn’t go to school. He’s a few years older then us. He is a faunus like me. He has a bit of a temper and gets jealous very easily. Whenever he sees me talking or even looking at someone he will get mad. He takes his anger out on me most of the time.” Blake pulled her tank top up slightly to reveal more bruises. “If I leave Adam then I will have no one.” Blake looked at Yang. She thought she would be angry and tell her to leave but when she saw those purple eyes, she was told something different.

            Yang had tears dripping down her face and on her lap. Her eyes still looked angry but not at her. They were mad at Adam. Yang slowly placed one of her hands on Blakes stomach. Blake tensed up but slowly relaxed. Yang felt warm and gentle. Yang then moved her hand onto Blakes legs and slowly dragged it along the bruises, cuts, and scars. Then she placed her arm out. Blake looked at her and then gave Yang her hand.

            Yang held onto the pale hand and used her other hand to feel all the cuts and scars on her arm. She then leaned down and rested her head on Blakes hand. Blake could feel the tears falling onto her. Yang gently kissed her hand and then leaned back up and looked Blake in the eyes.

            “Those cuts and scars are from me. I’m sorry.” Blake was crying now.

            “Don’t be sorry. Just know that I’m here now and I’m not leaving. I don’t care what Adam does to me. If he comes after you I will protect you. Just promise me you’ll come to me when you need help. Promise me that you’ll try and leave him. You don’t need him.” Yang kept crying.

            “Yang, thank you.” Blake grabbed onto Yang and held her close. They both just sat there and cried for awhile. When they finally calmed down they looked at each other. “We are a mess.” Blake said with a small chuckle.

            “That’s fine with me.” Yang said with a smile. Snot was dripping down her face and she was still crying alittle bit. Blake thought it was cute and slightly funny. She smiled back at Yang.

            Yang saw the smile and jumped up off the couch. “I did it! You smiled!” Yang said and started to laugh.

            Blake got embarrassed and turned her head and quickly regained her straight face.

            “Hey! No need to be embarrassed. I thought you looked cute!” Yang smiled at her. Blake’s face started to turn red. Yang took note of that.

            “Hey Yang. Not to be nosey or anything but why were you out so late?” Blake turned and looked at her.

            Yang’s face quickly turned to a frown. She looked down at the floor and sighed before she spoke. “Well I was looking for my sister. My sisters a bit different. Its not just her semblance. We are not entirely sure what it is. Something happens to her during full moons. I told her to come home after school but she didn’t. I have no idea where she is.” Yang looked upset.

            “I’m sure shes fine. If shes anything like you then I know she must be tough. I bet she can hold her own against anyone who comes at her.” Blake said hoping it would cheer up her new friend.

            “That’s what I’m worried about.” Yang stated.

           


	4. Wolves May Lurk In Every Guise

**AN: I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for reading this. I just wanted to point out this fic is rated M currently just to be on the safe side. It will be getting more graphic as the story progresses. I will be trying my best to get a chapter out every 1-2 days but don’t be mad if I am late! I am a junior in college double majoring in Chemistry and Biology. Free time is hard to come by. Also I am looking for a cover photo for this story, if anyone has suggestions. I also have a tumblr account but I might make a sideblog that only contains RWBY related content. Anyways enjoy this chapter! It takes place right after Yang and Ruby get to school. Its about what happened to Ruby during that time.**

**Chapter 4**

**Wolves May Lurk In Every Guise**

_ Earlier that day _

            Ruby watched Yang walk off and head to class. Ruby always admired Yang’s confidence. Yang never had trouble making friends and talking to other people. Ruby, on the other hand, struggled to even raise her hand in class, let alone talk to other people. The one thing Ruby was excited for were classes on weapons, combat, and skill. Ruby was always proud of her talents fighting. She spent years practicing and mastering her weapon and speed and she was hoping her talent might help her make friends here.

            Ruby started heading inside the school building. She took out a piece of paper with the name of her classes and the room numbers on them. She had no idea where she was going. She just stared at the paper in confusion.

            She ended up walking straight into someone and knocking them over. She toppled onto them and papers scattered around them. Ruby took a moment to register what happened and jumped to her feet. Her face turned completely red from embarrassment. She looked down at the girl she had knocked over.

            The girl on the floor was extremely pale. Her skin looked untouched. She had pale blue eyes and white hair. She had a white collared shirt and a white skirt on. She had a pair of snowflake earrings. Everything about the girl looked expensive. The girl on the floor glared up at her.

            “She looks pissed.” Ruby thought to herself. She reached out and offered the girl her hand in order to get up. The girl narrowed her eyes and rejected the offer and stood up herself. She brushed the dirt off herself and gathered her papers.

            “Sorry about that. I’m new here. I was trying to figure out what room to go to.” Ruby laughed awkward and rubbed the back of her head. It was a nervous habit of hers. She didn’t know what to do with her hands sometimes.

            The girl walked up until she was inches away from Ruby. The girl was short but was still a few inches taller then her. The girl glared at her. That’s when Ruby noticed the scar over the other girls eye.

            “Who are you?” The girl finally said.

            “My Name is Ruby Rose.” Ruby replied. She tried backing away but realized she was pinned between the other girl and some lockers.

            “Well _Ruby Rose_ , My name is Weiss Schnee. My family is a big deal. I’ll let this little problem slide this time. If you do anything to bother me again, you won’t be so lucky.” Weiss crossed her arms and backed off the other girl.

            “Umm thanks. So umm… do you happen to know where combat class is? Ruby asked, smiling awkwardly. She felt like her chest might burst.

            “Find it yourself.” Weiss replied and turned her back to Ruby and walked away.

            Once the girl was out of sight Ruby took a deep breath and sighed deeply. “Why am I so clumsy?” She asked herself. She took out the paper with her classes on it once again and looked around trying to figure out where to go.

            A red head started walking towards Ruby. She had on a tan and white dress. She was smiling and her face was covered in freckles. She looked at Ruby and became to wave.

            “Salutations! My name is Penny Polendina. You must be one of the new girls who recently moved into the woods! You look lost. May I assist you?” The girl gave off an awkward but friendly vibe. Ruby smiled.

            “Thanks Penny. I’m looking for combat class. I have no idea where I am going.” Ruby answered.

            “Sen-sational! That is where I am going. We have the class together. We can sit next to each other and be friends.” She grabbed onto Ruby’s hand and guided her to the classroom.

            Ruby looked around at the class. It was huge. She followed Penny up past a few rows of desks and sat next to her. She looked around that the other students and noticed Weiss was sitting a few rows directly in front of her. Weiss made eye contact with Ruby and glared up at her and quickly turned her head and faced the front of the classroom.

            “I saw you run into Weiss in the hallway. The girl is the daughter of a very powerful family. She has a very rare and unique power that only her bloodline has. Her family owns a bunch of different companies and supplies lots of people with weapons. They have done some dirty things and most people dislike them. They don’t care though. Weiss is very cold if you havn’t noticed.” Penny told Ruby when she noticed Ruby staring at Weiss.

            Right after that, the teacher came into the classroom and began the class. Throughout the day Penny guided Ruby to all her classes. She saw the group of friends that Yang and her met at the store yesterday and said hello to them. At lunch, she sat and ate with them and Penny. She looked in the corner of the dining hall and saw Weiss sitting at a table by herself. Ruby didn’t know why but she was drawn to the girl. She couldn’t explain why. Everyone she talked to told her to avoid the girl at all costs and told her stories about how mean the girl was. Ruby felt drawn to her. She couldn’t explain it but she knew she needed to meet the girl again.

            The rest of the day went by in a blur and soon Ruby was in her last class. This time Penny wasn’t in the class with her and she sat at a table by herself. It looked like the class required a partner. The class was a combination on everything from combats, weapons, skills, and fighting to curses, teamwork, and survival. That’s when Weiss entered the room and looked at the table Ruby was sitting at. She glared at the girl and sat down next to her.

            The teacher came into the room and noticed the two sitting next to each other. “Good. I see you found a partner Weiss.” And began the lecture. Ruby was secretly happy she was parterned with the other girl. Part of her was scared but she knew Weiss wouldn’t do anything to her. Ruby noticed how hard Weiss worked in all her classes. She cared about her grades. Ruby was hoping she might be able to impress the other girl.

            Class ended and the other girl got up and left without saying a word to Ruby. It slightly hurt Ruby but she ignored it for now. She got up and started leaving the school to head home but suddenly a sharp pain shoot through her head. She grabbed her face and started shaking and taking deep breaths. “Not now” She thought to herself and ran into the girls bathroom. Her head was pounding. She turned on the water and splashed it onto her face. She looked into the mirror and sighed in relief when she noticed she still looked like herself.

            She got out of the bathroom and looked around. The halls were empty and students were gone. No one had seen her freak out. That was good. She exited the school and headed to the streets. She stopped when she saw an expensive looking white car. The price of the car wasn’t what made her stop. It was the symbol on the car.

            A black design lay on top of the car. It was a black snowflake. It looked just like the one Ruby had seen on the iron gate in front of the castle in her dream. The car started to drive away.

            Ruby looked up toward the sky. The sun was starting to set which meant she didn’t have much time left until she had to be back at home. Against her better judgment she decided to follow the car. “Ill be back before its dark. I still have time.” Ruby thought to herself.

            Ruby used her speed to follow the car unnoticed. She had no idea why she was following the car. She was hoping it would answer some of her questions. She would be stunned if it actually led to a castle. She was just hoping she would get some questions answered.

            The car drove into the woods and kept going. “That’s odd. I didn’t think people lived out here other then me and Yang.” Ruby said to herself. The car kept driving until it stopped in front of an iron gate with the same symbol on it. Ruby stopped and stared at the gate. Her eyes went wide. She didn’t dare keep going. She watched the gate open and the car drive in. The gates closed behind the car and soon the car was gone. A mist had surrounded whatever was pass the gate.

            Ruby was shocked. It was just like her dream. It even felt colder here. She just stood and stared at the gates. A sudden headache pulled her back into reality. She grabbed her head and groaned. She looked up at the sky and realized it was dark out. “Shit. I have to get back to the cabin. I have to get to Yang.” Ruby turned and started walking. The pain was increasing and was spreading all over her body.

            She stopped walking after a few minutes. The pain was becoming to much and she knew she was lost. She had no idea where she was. Her breathing was becoming sharp and it was starting to become hard to hold in what was happening to her. She walked under a tree and sat down. She looked at her surroundings and looked for any noticeable landmarks. She found none. It was just trees everywhere. “At least I’m not by people.” Ruby thought to herself.

            She reached into her hoodie to find her phone and call Yang but before she could do that the pain got worse. Her whole head was burning and she felt like her skin was going to rip apart. Then everything went black.

            _Ruby stood inside a dark room. Nothing was in the room except a red chair that was directly in front of her. Ruby hated this place. It used to scare her all the time. Even days when it wasn’t a full moon. Ruby was starting to feel numb to the fear inside this room though. She knew what was about to happen. She hated it but she didn’t know what to do. She didn’t even no why it happened. She knew that he would enter soon and terrorize her. She hated him. He made her feel horrible. Sometimes he would just yell at her. Other times he would beat her. Sometimes he would just point out everything wrong with the girl or how no one loved her. He would even bring up her mother._

_That’s when she heard the familiar sound of feet walking across the room. The deep chuckle was heard and then the slamming of a door. The man looked her and smiled before taking a seat in the red chair. He wore a nice black suit with a red tie. He wasn’t wearing any shoes and his black hair was messy. He had red eyes that were sharp and pierced through Ruby. He looked at her and grinned. His grin became wider until Ruby could see his sharp teeth._

_“Hello my little rose. Why must you be so stubborn? Just let me take control. You know its for the best.” He stared at her._

_Ruby couldn’t answer back. She was starting to shake. She felt tears starting to form in the corner of her eyes. She clenched her fists as the shaking increased. The man started to laugh at her._

_“Are you afraid of the big bad wolf?”_

She was.

           


	5. The Beast

**AN: I decided for my own sanity I will not be posting a chapter every day. My goal is to post 3 chapters a week. I am also considering writing other stories at the same time. Still havn’t decided yet. Anyways I hope you enjoy this chapter! I will be switching POV from time to time. Ill bold and inform you when this occurs.**

**Chapter 5**

**The Beast**

            Weiss sat alone in the large dining hall of her family’s castle. The table was large enough to seat at least 100 people but every chair was empty other then her own at the end of the table. She had just finished fencing practice, vocal lessons, and now she was finishing up dinner.

            She was sipping her soup and staring ahead. She wasn’t looking at anything particularly. She just loved times where she didn’t have to do anything. She could just relax and enjoy the peace and quiet. The only sound she could hear was the tiking of the giant old clock in the dining room and the sound of raining hitting the stained glass windows that surrounded the room.

            Her family was rarely around. Her family had a lot of power over the area and always had an affair to take care of. Her family also did a lot of dirty underground work but she didn’t want to look into what they did because she knew one day her family would make her do their own dirty work, like they had done to her old sister Winter. She hadn’t heard from her older sister in such a long time. The moment Winter finished school her parents sent her away and Weiss tried to find out where she had moved so she could mail her letters but her parents wouldn’t allow it.

            Her parents were very strict and controlling, which is why Weiss didn’t have many friends. When she was a baby and first learned to walk her parents quickly started to teacher her how to fight. When she learned how to speak her parents made her take vocal lessons, along with other lessons to teach her how to be charismatic and proper. Her parents only wanted perfection on both the battle field and off. Whenever she messed up or didn’t meet their level they would force her to spent hours of time working until she got it right. She didn’t have time for a social life.

            She was okay with it though. This had been her life since she was born. She wanted to be perfect. Some nights when she finished her work early she realized just how empty the castle she lived in was.

            Weiss finished her meal and placed the dish on a serving tray for the cleaning staff to take care of later. She walked into one of the many halls of her castle thinking about what she could do next. She approach a door with her special symbol on it. Each family member had an emblem that was slightly different. She opened the door to her room and grabbed her backpack. She sat down at her desk and starting taking out her notes from class to review.

            She opened the notebook and flipped to the correct page and started skimming through the notes. Her eyes stopped and grew wide at an edition that was added to her notebook. It was clear to her very quickly who wrote it.

            “ _Hey partner! Here’s my number if you ever need me.”_ Followed by her number, the words Ruby Rose, and a happy face.

            Weiss just looked at the words for a minute. She sighed and took out her phone. It was almost 1:00am. Time really went by fast. She opened her text messages. All of them were from her father or mother. She looked back at the message Ruby had left her in her notebook. She opened her contacts and added Ruby to her phone.

            “Why am I even doing this? Shes annoying. Whatever.” Weiss thought to herself as she saved the contact onto her phone. She looked out the window and it was still raining. She went to her closet and grabbed a white water proof jacket and exited her room.

            “I need some air. Its not like anyone will even notice if I go for a walk at this hour.” She thought to herself as she exited her castle and headed toward the gates.

**Ruby’s mind**

Ruby stood her ground and stared at the man sitting in front of her. His grin was wide. He chuckled and slowly stood up. “Are you afraid of the Big Bad Wolf, my little rose?” He was right in front of Ruby. She towered over her. He was muscularly built and stood nearly 7 feet tall. He wore a nice suit but his hair was messy. His red eyes looked down at her.

This man terrified Ruby each time they met. She hated him. She could feel her body shaking as she looked up at him. “I’m not scared of you.” Ruby struggled to say out loud.

The man looked at her and starting laughing loudly. It almost sounded like a howl. “That’s bullshit. That lie to yourself, kid.”

“I’m not lying. I’m not afraid of you. I hate you. Do you know how much you have ruined my life? All the problems that you caused? You think its all a joke. You love hurting me, hurting the ones I care for, causing trouble, and spilling blood. I don’t remember what happened that _day_. I remember waking up and my mother was gone. No one would tell me what happened. I remember waking up and seeing my father covered in blood. What happened that day?” Ruby could feel herself falling apart. She never had an outburst like this before in front of this man.

He stood there for a moment and starting clapping his hands. “I’m disappointed. I thought sooner or later you would finally be able to figure it all out but you havn’t.” He sat back down and took a sip of what was either blood or red vine. “Hey Ruby. Do you want to play a game?” he smiled at her.

“I don’t want to play your stupid games.” Ruby screamed at him.

“Oh, but I thought you enjoyed games. Plus this game is a very special one. You see Ruby, this town is special. Its for people that have powers and are different. You came here for a reason. These woods hold so many secrets. The secrets of who I am. “ he spoke slyly. He was enjoying this.

“Im listening. What is the game?” Ruby replied.

“The game is simple. Find out who I am. I’ll give you until the end of next October to figure it out. That’s one year. I think that’s a fair amount of time. Who knows, maybe you’ll discover some other secrets while you are looking. During this time I will let you have full control of the transformation when you become a wolf. My one condition is that you don’t have to have a full moon to transform. You’ll transform when you feel a strong emotion or you are under a lot of stress. I will not take over your body though unless you allow me to. If you fail to find out who I am by this time next year then I can take over whenever I please.” He said with a smile.

Ruby thought she a few minutes. She needed to find out who this man was. He had been with her for so long but she knew nothing. His terms seemed surprisingly fair. “ Why?’ was all she could say.

He chuckled and said “I just want to sit back and enjoy the show. Now lets shake on it.” He reached his hand out toward Ruby. Ruby grabbed it and the shook and the game had been set. Everything went black. Ruby’s head began to buzz and she slowly opened her eyes.

It was still raining hard. Ruby realized she had transformed because her clothes surrounded her and looked so much larger. Everything looked larger. Ruby had transformed into a small Wolf pup. Over the years Ruby noticed that the transformation size depending on how she was feeling that day. Angry seemed to great a huge beast while sadness changed her to a pup. She still had no idea where she was. An idea suddenly hit her.

This was the first time she had completely control during the transformation. She had complete control over her actions. She dug into her hood pocket and grabbed onto her phone with her teeth. She dropped it in front of her and unlocked the screen with her nose. She found Yang’s number and dialed it. She put the phone on speaker. The phone rang twice and Yang picked up.

“Ruby? Ruby is that you? Where are you? Are you ok? How are you calling me?” Yang sounded like a huge bundle of emotions put together.

“Yes! It worked.” Ruby thought to herself. The only problem was when she spoke to reply to Yang it only came out as a bark or howl.

“Ruby I have no idea what you are saying. I have a friend here that thinks she can find you though! Stay put.” Then the phone call ended.

Ruby sat under the tree for a few minutes. She was cold and wet and just realized how creepy the woods were at night. Ruby’s nose started to twitch and she smelled something that was strangely familiar. She started following the scent. “I’ll come back to my clothes and wait for Yang after I find out what this smell is.” Ruby thought to herself.

She kept following the trail until it became very strong. She looked around and her ears perked up and eyes widened when she discovered what it was. Weiss was on a walk. It was had to miss her. She was wearing all white during the dead of night. Ruby slowly kept following Weiss unnoticed until Weiss stopped and entered a small cave next to a miniature lake. Ruby watched as Weiss sat down and took the hood of her jacket off her face. Ruby slowly walked up to the cave and studied Weiss’s face. She looked sad.

Ruby was to busy looking at Weiss to notice the ground end and become the lake. She fell into the lake and began to panic. She doggy paddled her way back onto land. She was freezing now. She whimpered and started to shake in an attempt to get dry.

Weiss jumped when she heard something splash into the water. The small creature came swimming up to her and climb into the cave and shake. Weiss looked at it for a moment and then felt butterflies in her stomach and couldn’t felt but smile when she realized it was a dog. She loved puppies. The puppy had black short messy fur. The color slowly faded into a red at the ends of the fur on the top of the dogs head. Weiss heard the small whimpers and her heart melted.

Weiss quickly took off her jacket and wrapped up the puppy in it. She heard a yelp and held onto it as it tried to escape the coat. “Shhhh don’t be scared. I’m not going to hurt you. You look cold.” Weiss wrapped her arms around Ruby and held her tight. Ruby was stunned by this action, not expecting Weiss to be affectionate like this but calmed down and let Weiss hold her.

They stayed like that for a long time. It was quiet and nice. Ruby could feel herself falling asleep. Her eyes started closing but she jerked them open but she felt the body holding her begin to shake. Weiss buried her head into her jacket and her face was on Rubys. Ruby felt her heart start beating faster. Weiss started to cry.

Ruby had no idea why Weiss was crying and had no idea what to do to help. The crying turned into sobs. Ruby just let Weiss hold her hoping that she could help Weiss that way. The sobbing slowly died down but the tears still escaped her face. That’s when Ruby heard something she wasn’t expecting Ruby to say.

“I’m so lonely.” Weiss whispered.

Ruby barked at Weiss to grab her attention. Weiss looked down at the puppy in her arms. Ruby wiggled her way out of the jacket. Weiss sighed and expected the dog to walk away and leave her but instead the puppy climbed back into Weiss’s lap and rubbed its head on her arm. It felt like a comforting gesture.

“Thank you.” Weiss said to puppy and kissed the top of its head.

If Ruby could blush she would have by then. Her heart was racing. She felt bad because she knew she had to leave now and go to the tree and wait for Yang but she didn’t want to leave Weiss. She was drawn to the girl and she wanted to make her happy. She knew she could change back to a human in a few hours though and she needed to tell Yang what happened. Weiss would understand. Ruby decided she would meet Weiss again tomorrow as the wolf since that seemed to cheer her up. At school she would try to talk to her and become her friend since the girl felt lonely.

Ruby climbed off Weiss’s lap and turned to the exit of the cave and back at her. She whimpered. Weiss felt crazy but she felt like the puppy was trying to talk to her. “Its ok. You can go. You probably have a family that is looking for you.” She pet Ruby’s head and Ruby exited the cave and ran back to the tree where her pile of clothes were.

Within five minutes she heard footsteps running at her and an unfamiliar voice say “She’s here”. Yang was the first person Ruby saw. Yang ran scoped her up and hugged her tight. “Baby sister I was so worried.” Yang was so happy she found her. Ruby whimpered back as her way of saying I’m sorry.

“You’re probably wondering how we found you. Well this is my friend Blake. She is a faunus. She has a great nose and we tracked you by scent! Yang smiled and used one arm to wrap Blake into a hug. Blake was stiff at first but hugged Yang back.

“Hello Ruby. You look cold. Yang we should heard back to the cabin. I’ll grab her clothes.” Blake reached down and picked up Ruby’s clothes and phone and started walking back to the cabin. Yang held Ruby close. Ruby felt warm. She slowly drifted to sleep. “I’ll tell Yang what happened tomorrow.”


	6. Candle in the Dark

**Chapter 6**

**Candle in the Dark**

Ruby slowly woke up the next morning. Her head was pounding as she laid down. Her mind replayed the events that occurred just a few hours ago. It almost didn’t feel real. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She was in her cabins living room laying on the couch. A fire was slowly dying in the fireplace. She heard the turning of a page in a book and turned her head to see what was making the noise.

            A pale skinned girl with black hair sat in a chair next to the couch. Her golden eyes intensely reading the book in her hands. The girl had cat ears. Ruby didn’t know the girl but briefly remembered seeing her with Yang last night. She must have been friends with Yang. Ruby realized she hadn’t seen Yang yet and was about to jump up and look for her but she felt a hand start gingerly pet the top of her head.

            “I see you’re awake Ruby. How are you feeling?” Yang looked down at Ruby and had a warm smile on her face. Ruby’s head was resting in Yang’s lap.

            Ruby looked up at Yang with a confused expression on her face. “I’m feeling better. Last night was crazy though.”

            Suddenly Yang jumped up and caused Ruby to sit up. Yang stood in front of the couch and towered over Ruby. She put her hands on her hips. Her warm expression quickly turned to an angry one. Her purple eyes were red. “Crazy?! I told you to come home Ruby. You know how dangerous it is! What were you thinking?” Yang yelled at her. Blake sat in the background unfazed, still reading her book.

            “Well this girl in my class seemed familiar, like I saw her in a dream, with a castle, so I followed her home but I got lost and it became late. I’m sorry Yang. I know it was stupid. I hate that I’m like this. I know you and dad wont tell me what happened before but im sorry.” Ruby replied in almost a whisper. She knew Yang was angry but she knew Yang was just very worried because she cared.

            “It’s dangerous Ruby. Please be careful.” Yang sat next to her and took a few deep breaths. Her eyes slowly turned back to their normal purple state. She turned and gave Ruby a huge bear hug.

            “I talked to the man last night.” Ruby said into the hug.

            Yang released Ruby and stared at her. “What did he say?” Yang asked

            “We made a deal. I have one year to find out who he is. He will let me have full control of the transformation until then. The downside is that I can transform even if its not a full moon.” Ruby replied.

            “Then we will figure out who he is together.” Yang pat Ruby’s head and grinned. Blake closed the book and stretched. “Oh yeah! Ruby this is Blake. She goes to the same school as us. She’s in my grade. I ran into her last night when I was in town looking for you.” Yang pointed at Blake.

            “ We should probably start heading to school or we will be late. If you guys are not feeling well you can skip. You guys had a long night.” Blake calmly said as she stood up and went to the kitchen to get her bag.

            “We shouldn’t skip our second day of classes. Lets get going.” Yang got up and grabbed Ruby and her bags. Ruby got up after her and all three of them left the cabin and headed to the school. Ruby stayed quiet the whole walk there. She just kept replaying the memory she had of Weiss. Weiss was so upset. She would never have imagined that Weiss was like that.

            Yang was feeling better since Ruby was safe and chatting with Blake. Yang knew Blake needed her but would never say it out loud. She barely knew the girl but could tell she liked her. She wanted to help her. She loved making her smile. As they walked to school Yang kept making stupid cheesy jokes and made Blake smile and laugh. Yang felt like something in her stomach melted every time she heard her laugh.

            Once they got to the school they waved to each other. Ruby headed toward her classes while Yang and Blake walked to theirs. Ruby walked in the classroom and expected to find Weiss sitting down but she was no where. Ruby took her seat and waited for class to begin. The teacher came in and class started. Ruby took notes and listened to the lecture. It was the only thing that could distract her. She was worried. Weiss sounded like she had the reputation of being the model student. She wasn’t in class though. It must have been because of last night.

            School went by quickly that day and Ruby’s last class ended. She got up and gathered her belongings and started heading to the door of the classroom when the teacher called her name. She turned around and walked to the front of the classroom. “Miss Rose, do you know where Weiss is? You are her partner. It is not like her to miss class.” The teacher said.

            “No. I have no idea why she isn’t here. She must not be feeling well. I will make sure to fill her in on what she missed.” Ruby replied.

            “Good. Thank you.” The teacher sat at his desk and took at a stack of papers and started grading them. Ruby turned and left the classroom and headed straight home. She needed to catch up on sleep.

            Blake and Yang had just finished classes and were exciting the school. Yang was going over ideas in her head for the rest of the day. She wanted to spend more time with Blake. She had been quiet all day and looked like she was deep in thought about something. Yang guessed it was her boyfriend. She wanted Blake to have a good day and was trying to think of places she could take her. She knew Blake was part cat and loved books but other then that she didn’t know much about her quiet friend. The downside was that since Yang was new in town she didn’t really know any of the places in town to hang out. She did recall passing by a small bookstore that had a café next door.

            “I’ll suggest we go to the bookstore and then the café. I hope she doesn’t mind.” Yang thought to herself. She was slightly nervous about asking the girl if she wanted to hang out. She didn’t know why. She usually was very good at talking to people. Last night was the first time she let someone else into Ruby and her world before though. Blake must have thought the same way since she had never told anyone about her boyfriend or how she felt before.

            “Yang is being very quiet. Its kind of nice to have a bit of peace and quiet for a moment but I wonder if she’s okay. She was really worked up last night. I’m surprised she hasn’t brought up Adam or asked me anything else about my past.” Blake thought to herself. She looked over at Yang and studied the girls expression. She had a slight smile on her face but her teeth looked clenched as if she was tense about something. Her blonde hair was glowing in the sunlight on top of her pale skin. Yang’s purple eyes made contact with Blakes golden eyes and Blake nervously looked away.

            Yang stopped walking and turned to face Blake. Once Yang mustered up the courage to speak she gently grabbed Blake’s shoulder. The action surprised Blake. “Hey I saw a cute little bookstore a few blocks away from here. It was right next to a café. “Yang said with a nervous smile. Blake looked at her confused for a moment.

            “You mean Tukson’s Book Trade? What about it?” Blake asked. She raised an eyebrow.

            “Oh well, I was wondering if you wanted to go to it. I know you like books. I thought it would be fun. Plus I always like the vibe cafes give off.” Yang replied. She looked tense but tried to play it off by releasing a nervous laugh.

            Blake grinned at Yang. “Yang really is sweet. She must have picked up on the fact that I like books. She actually seems like a good person, which is rare to find in this town.” Blake thought to herself.

            “Sure Yang. I would love to go.” Blake smiled at Yang. She watched as Yang’s body relaxed and a huge grin appeared on her face. Yang reached an arm around Blake and rested it on her shoulder and she started to lead Blake down the street. The moment made Blake tense up and Yang immediately felt it and removed her arm.

            “Sorry I just got excited.” Yang said with a nervous laugh.

            “What are you so excited about?” Blake looked at her and grinned. She quickly relaxed. She hadn’t felt like this around many people. She rarely ever felt at ease.

            “I get to spend time with this cool cat.” Yang playfully replied.

            Blake playfully pushed Yang as they walked. “You did not just say that.” Blake said while laughing. “You are such a dork.”

            Soon they arrived at the bookstore. It was a small store and it was run by a small family. Blake explained to Yang that the store allowed you to bring old books inside and you could either sell them or trade them for books in the store. Everything was discounted because they were slightly used but all the books were in good condition. Yang watched as Blake ran all over the store and got excited when she saw a title she liked and gave Yang plot summaries.

“She’s really adorable when she gets excited like this. I should take her here again. Yang thought to herself.

Blake skimmed each row of books. She stopped in front of a display that had a single book being presented. Blakes eyes went wide and her eyes perked up. Yang walked up next to her and looked at the book that Blake was staring at. “Is that a book you like?” Yang asked.

“It’s a first edition of the book Ninjas of Love. The book is very rare. The author didn’t print a lot of copies of it and they rarely are seen in this part of the world. Its more common in the south. Ive never seen a first edition though. Its beautiful.” Blake replied. She looked at the price displayed in front of the display case and frowned. “It would be $100 though. Oh well. At least I got to see it.” Blake turned over and looked at Yang. “Lets go to that café now.” She smiled up at Yang and started to walk out of the store. Yang felt her heart beat faster.

“She really does have a great smile.” Yang thought to herself and quickly followed Blake.

They entered the café and seated themselves. Yang looked over the menu. “I have no clue what to get. I don’t really go to places like these. Its mostly just burger places. Theres so many types of teas. How do I know which one to get? Should I get coffee? Ahhhh” Yang thought to herself.

Blake caught on to the confusion and let out a soft giggle. Yangs head popped up from the menu and looked at Blake. “Whats so funny?” Yang asked in a playful tone.

“Oh, nothing at all Yang.” Blake said with another small giggle.

“Shouldn’t you look at the menu?” Yang questioned.

“I go here a lot so they know what I always order. What are you getting?” Blake smiled and asked.

“I think I’m going to get a hot cocoa with marshmellows and whipped cream! Do you mind ordering for me? I need to use the bathroom. I’ll be right back.” Yang got up and went to the back of the café and disappeared out of sight. Blake waited a few moments and then a waiter came up the her table and she gave their order.

A few minutes later Yang returned. Blake noticed Yang had taken her backpack to the bathroom and thought it was odd but didn’t question it. They started talking about their hobbies and interests. Told stories about their childhood and how they found their semblance. Blake talked about the racial discrimination she experienced when she was little and how she didn’t really have a family. She told Yang about a gang she joined because she thought the message the gang was showing the public was a good one. She told Yang about how she met Adam at the rallies for her gang and how they teamed up on projects. Yang listened to everything Blake told her and tried her best to understand.

Blake started to shake and let out a deep breath. “I thought the White Fang was trying to show everyone that we are equal but we ended up hurting people and just giving faunuses a bad name. I didn’t know about the drug deals, the kidnappings and rapes, and murders that were taking place. Adam knew and he got mad when I told him I disagreed with. Adam gets angry very easily and likes to fight. I found out he was in charge of a lot of the murders. About 2 years ago he started to beat me if I disagreed or upset him. He even beat me if he was mad about something else. He started controlling me and didn’t want me to talk to other people. He even sexually abused me.” Blake felt liked she was about to cry but then she felt something warm hold on to her head. She looked up.

Yang was holding her hand tightly and looking right at her. Yang slowly learned forward and put her forehead against Blake’s and continued to just stare at her. Blake looked back into her eyes. They stayed like this for a moment until Blake realized Yang was starting to cry.

“You are so strong Blake and I don’t want you to feel like you have to deal with all this on your own anymore. I want to help you and I know Ruby would help you too. I cant take back what has happened to you or what hes done to you but I can help you now. I can help you leave him and leave the white fang.” Yang said as she was fighting back tears. Blake was stunned.

“Its not that easy. Im scared that if I leave Adam, then I will truly be alone. People don’t like faunuses.” Blake said in a saddened tone.

“Well theres a faunus in front of me that I like a lot. I’m not leaving you Blake. You cant expect me to know what he does to you and do nothing about it. At least consider my help.” Yang was crying.

Blake let go out Yang’s grip and placed her hand on Yang’s rosey cheeks. She gently rubbed away the tears there and sighed. “I would love your help Yang. I don’t want you getting hurt though. They are dangerous.” Blake replied.

“Don’t worry about me Blake. Pain makes me stronger! Its literally my semblance. You still havnt seen me fight.” Yang smiled and flexed her arm and playfully tried to lighten the mood.

“It’s getting dark. I should probably head home soon. Will you be okay tonight?” Yang asked.

“I’ll be fine. I need to do some homework anyways.” Blake got up from her seat. They both left a tip and paid for their drinks and walked out of the store.

They walked in silence for a few minutes until Blake stopped. “I have to go this way now. I’ll see you in class tomorrow?” Blake asked.

“Wait! Before you leave I want to give you this.” Yang handed Blake her hoodie from her backpack. She looked at Yang confused until she realized the hoodie was hiding something inside of it. “Don’t look at what it is until you get to your house!” Yang said with a smile on her face. She gave Blake a hug and turned and walked home.

Blake headed to her house. She locked her small apartment and placed her backpack down and sat on her couch. She reached inside of Yang’s hoodie and felt the object. Her eyes widened and her ears perked up. She pulled out Ninjas of Love. Her heart skipped a beat and she hugged the book against herself.

 


	7. October Nights

**Chapter 7**

**October Nights**

Ruby woke up from the sound of the front door opening. She jumped out of bed and stretched. That nap had really helped her. She felt like she was full of energy. She ran out of her room and down the stairs and jumped at Yang.

            “Whoa there baby sis, I missed you too.” Yang greeted her by catching her and hugging her.

            Ruby smiled and hugged her back. Yang put her on the floor and she stood in front of Yang. She was bouncing in place. “I took a nap when I got home and I just woke up. “ Ruby told her.

            “That’s cool. I was hanging out with Blake.” Yang hoped on the couch and turned on cartoons on the tv in the living room. “This weekend we have to tackle the basement. We could have a game night or a movie night or something. I could invite Blake and you could invite some of your friends Ruby.” Yang said with a smile.

            “I haven’t really made any friends yet.” Ruby stated.

            “What about snowflake girl and that group of people we met when we went shopping? I think I saw you talking to a redheaded girl today at school.” Yang faced her sister and looked curious.

            “I don’t think I’m at that level of friendship with any of them. Also, her name isn’t snowflake girl! Her name is Weiss. She’s my partner in my classes but I don’t think she likes me. I am a bit worried though. She missed class today.” Ruby said

            “Im sure she doesn’t hate you Ruby. She just needs to get to know you better. You are awesome!” Yang said with a smile and she turned her attention back to the tv.

            Ruby made herself a quick snack and ate it quickly. She put her hood on and started heading to the door. She turned and faced Yang. “Hey Yang. Im going for a walk.” Ruby said as she opened the door and started to head out.

            “Be safe!” Yang called back at her.

            Once Ruby was outside she headed toward a near by tree. It was a large tree that had old drawings craved onto it. Ruby didn’t study the drawings though. She stood under the tree and closed her eyes. She gave out a deep sigh.

            _“Where are you?” She called out in her mind._

_“Its not like I can go anywhere. What is it that you want my little flower?” The man asked._

_“How do I change into a wolf?” Ruby asked._

_He looked at her and laughed. His laugh echoed her mind. She tensed up. “Its funny how you want to be a wolf now. Is it for the white haired girl, Weiss? Changing into a wolf is simple. All you must do is feel an emotion very strongly or have your body be under a lot of stress. Its very simple. Just focus your mind on an emotion. Sometimes you don’t even have to focus. Angry is a wonderful thing.” He smirked at her._

_“Okay wolf. Ill see you again soon.” Ruby said_

Ruby opened her eyes and she was back under the tree. She sighed and started to remove all her clothing. She neatly folded it under the tree so she could come back to it. She didn’t want to leave the house as a wolf because Yang would question it and she didn’t want to come back to the house naked either. Once she was naked she started thinking about her emotions. She thought about how Weiss felt last night. She felt sad and alone. Ruby thought about her mother and missing her. Soon she felt like she was being flooded with depression. She felt herself getting smaller. She realized it worked.

            She howled into the sky and started to head back to the lake where she met Weiss the previous night.

Weiss laid in her bed and was looking up at the ceiling. Her room was quiet just like the rest of the castle. She hadn’t left her bed all day. She was slightly mad at herself for that. She missed school and she didn’t know why. She just felt depressed and unmotivated.

She turned in her bed and looked out the window. “Its dark already? I really should get out of bed. I’ll get behind in my studies.” Weiss thought to herself and slowly sat up. She sighed. She recalled last night and thought about what she had said. She really was lonely. She was so cold hearted that even if she tried to make a friend it would be impossible. Her family name scared people. She knew what people thought about her and her family.

She slowly got out of bed. She shivered. She didn’t expect it to be so cold. She was under a blanket all day so that was to be expected. Weiss put on a pair of sweatpants and a white jacket and left her room. She walked through multiple empty halls and passed empty rooms. She went down her stairs and reached the entrance of the castle.

She thought about the small clumsy puppy she saw last night. She always had a soft spot for animals but her family never allowed her to have any pets. The puppy was so cute and it felt like it was talking to her. She couldn’t explain why she felt like it was. She opened her castles large doors and walked out. She walked pass the large gate and into the darkened woods.

“Maybe I’ll be able to find the puppy again. I believe it was a she if memory serves. Ill go back to where I was last night and see if I can find her. Maybe I could hide her from father. I bet he couldn’t notice.” Weiss thought to herself.

She walked for awhile until she reached the lake from the night before. She head toward the cave and entered it and sat down. It was empty of course. She looked down at the cave floor with a sad expression on her face. She sat down on the cold cave floor and looked out toward the sky. It was another cloudy night but a few stars could be seen. She missed the summer. One of the perks to living out in the woods was being able to see all the stars at night. It was impossible to see them in the city.

She heard footsteps and the sound of a branch breaking. It caught her attention and she started to stand up. She reached for her sword which she kept on a belt around her waist. She pulled the sword out and in front of her. “Who is it?” She yelled out. She waited for a reply and got none. She took a few steps out of the cave and looked around. She turned toward a bush that she heard rustling from and approached it.

“Come out now or ill attack.” She commanded. Her voice showed no fear. She wasn’t scared. She was used to finding strange beasts or people in the woods. Many people had tried to kidnap her in the past because of her family name and no one ever had.

She heard a yip and a familiar black and slightly red ball of fur came crawling out of the bush. She placed her sword in her belt and got on her knees. She placed her hands in front of her and cupped them. “I knew you would come back. Come here. She patted at her lap.” Ruby looked at Weiss and slowly crawled onto her lap. Weiss grabbed her and scoped her up and carried her to the cave. She held Ruby carefully in one hand as she removed her sword and placed it onto the cave floor and sat down. She put Ruby onto her lap.

“I always wished I had a dog growing up.” She said with a smile. Ruby looked at her and wagged her tail.

“At least I can cheer her up this way.” Ruby thought to herself.

Weiss sat there and pet Ruby for awhile. She talked about her childhood briefly but went quiet. Ruby sat there and let Weiss pet her. It honestly felt good to be pet. Ruby knew the man was probably laughing at her inside her head right now but she decided to ignore it.

Weiss stopped petting her and looked at her for a moment. She reached out and scoped Ruby up and held her in the air for a moment and Weiss studied her. “You are a girl. I wonder if you have a name? I wouldn’t feel right naming you.” Weiss said out loud.

Ruby felt her heart beat faster when she realized Weiss had seen her naked. It just clicked in her head that she was still technically naked even if she was a wolf. She hoped it wasn’t real.

Ruby wiggled out of Weiss’s lap and ran out of the cave her a moment. She barked her Weiss to follow. When Weiss got out of the cave Ruby ran at her and headbutt her in the leg. She started hoping around and barking.

“Oh you want to play. I’m going to get you!” Weiss said as she chased after Ruby. Weiss was faster then Ruby thought. Ruby didn’t want to use her speed because Weiss might figure out who she was if she did. Weiss was laughing and surprised Ruby by tackling her. Even though Weiss was larger then Ruby was when she was a puppy she noticed how careful Weiss was. Weiss scoped her up.

“I got you. You are going to have to try harder then that!” She smiled and put Ruby back on the ground and they kept playing tag for awhile.

Ruby was starting to get tired and knew Yang would start to wonder where she was so she decided it was time to leave. She barked toward Weiss and rubbed her head on her leg before running off into the forest.

Ruby ran all the way back to the cabin but stopped under the tree. She transformed back and put her clothes on before heading back inside. “Im back!” Ruby said with a smile. Yang was still on the couch watching tv.

“That was a long walk. How was it?” Yang questioned.

“I was just exploring the area. I found a small lake about 20 minutes away. It was pretty!” Ruby smiled.

“That sounds cool! Youll have to show me sometime.” Yang smiled.

Ruby sat on the couch next to Yang and they watched tv for awhile before they both got tired and headed upstairs for bed.

The rest of the school week was very similar to what they did today. Each day they woke up and headed to school. Blake met them half way there and they all talked before heading to class. Yang and Blake sat next to each other in every class and ended up being partners. Both of them were very excited. They sat at lunch together and talked about upcoming events. Yang was invited to a Halloween party and told Blake about it. Blake said she would consider going. Yang noticed a bruise on Blake’s arm. It upset Yang a lot but she knew for now she had to wait. Blake had to come to her. After school they would continue to hang out. Blake showed Yang different places in town she would like. They went out to dinner a few times. They went to the book store again. Each day was a lot of fun.

For Ruby the school week ended up being a week of a messed up sleep schedule. She would go to school and take notes in her classes. Weiss didn’t show up all week and no one had heard from her. Ruby knew where Weiss was. She hoped Weiss would come back soon. She was hoping that maybe Weiss would like Ruby as a person and not just as a soft cute puppy. Each night Ruby would tell Yang she was going for a walk and then leave to transform into the wolf pup and visit Weiss. Each night was the same. Weiss would hug and pet her. Weiss would cry alittle bit. Then they would play a game before Ruby left for the night.

“Its finally Friday! That means it’s the weekend!” Yang said with a smile.

“Yeah. We can sleep in tomorrow!” Ruby laughed.

“I was thinking that we work on the basement this weekend and then have a movie night tomorrow! How does that sound?” Yang asked.

“That sounds awesome. Then we can finally play Xbox too!” Ruby smiled

“Get ready to have your butt kicked, baby sis!” Yang smiled.

“Hey Yang I’m gonna head to bed early tonight. I’m super tired.” Ruby told Yang.

“Oh? Not going for a walk tonight? Well goodnight!” Yang smiled and went to the couch to watch tv. Ruby headed upstairs and into her room. She got into her pjs and jumped on her bed.

She actually was tired for once. She started to close her eyes and fall asleep but heard her phone vibrate and jumped. No one ever texted her. Since she came to this town she only got texts from Yang and a few random ones from Blake. She reached for her phone and picked it up.

The screen became bright and she went to her message box. She looked at it with a surprised look on her face.

**_One new message: Weiss_ **

Ruby had to look at it a few times before actually believing it was real. “Weiss texted me? That’s strange.” Ruby thought. She opened the text and read it.

**_“Hey dolt. Ive been sick the past few days. Can we meet tomorrow so I can see the notes I missed?”_ **

Ruby was surprised but quickly replied. **_“Sure thing Weiss! I hope you are feeling better! Where do you want to meet?”_**

Ruby waited a few minutes and her phone vibrated again.

**_“We can meet at you house if that’s alright.”_ **

Ruby answered back **_“That sounds good :) I live in the cabin in the woods. Im not sure what the address is but theres a few stone pillars near us and the river creek. We have roses all over near our house!”_**

She got an answer back **_“Oh I didn’t know you lived in the woods. I will be there tomorrow at 10am.”_**

Ruby replied one final time by saying **_“Cool! I cant wait to see you. I missed you Weiss. After I give you the notes we should hang out and do something!”_**

Weiss answered back **_“We will see.”_**


	8. Seeing Red

**AN: What is this? A longer chapter? Crazy.**

**Chapter 8**

**Seeing Red**

Weiss woke up in the morning to the sound of her alarm. She reached over to her phone and turned off the alarm. She looked at her screen. It was 7:00am. She got out of bed and yawned. She left her room and walked through her halls and down the stairs until she reached the dining room.

            The cooking crew had already left her breakfast there waiting for her. It was waffles with strawberries and whipped cream. She ate in silence and when she was done she got up and headed back to her room. Once she was inside she took off her nightgown and headed to the bathroom connected to her room. She walked inside the hot shower and mapped out what else she had to do before she left for Ruby’s house.

            “I have to pick out an outfit. I need to dry my hair.” She put a hand up to her eye and felt the scar. “Should I put make up on to cover my scar? I guess not. I doubt Ruby would care. She probably already saw it in class.”

            Weiss turned off the shower and grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself. She sat down in front of a giant mirror and turned on her hairdryer and dried and brushed her snow white hair.

            Once she was finished with her hair she walked back into her bedroom and opened her closet and stared at all her outfits. “Should I go formal and wear a nice dress or wear something casual? Do I want to look nice or feel wear something comfortable?” She took a deep sigh. “Why am I overthinking this?” Weiss hadn’t been invited to someone’s house since she was very little. The only time she was invited was when it was a formally arrangement “playdate” her father had set up with a potential business partners son.

            Of course that partnership didn’t work out and the mans body still hasn’t been found. She did remember the house being large and lifeless like her own house but the man had a big mouth and wasn’t smart. So I guess it was ok what happened. He would have screwed her father over.

            She finally decided on an outfit. A pale blue jacket with a red interior and a thigh length white dress with a white ribbon tied around her waist. She put on blue crystal earrings that matched her eyes. She looked at herself in the mirror and decided her looked acceptable. She grabbed her messenger bag and phone and headed out of her castle into the woods.

            “I guess I’ll text Ruby that I’m on my way.” She thought as she took out her phone and sent a text.

            The woods around her were colorful. It was mid October and the leaves had changed colors and decorated the forests path. Some trees still hung on to a few leaves but many were bare. It was slightly windy and leaves were being blown around.

            Soon Weiss approached the small cabin. A fence surrounded the cabin and roses decorated the area around it. She opened the fence gate and walked to the front door. The door was made of wood and had two symbols painted on it. One was yellow and looked like a heart that was on fire. The other one looked like a rose. She placed her hand on the symbol for a moment.

            “You’ll be fine Weiss. Its just Ruby.” Weiss said out loud. She finally had the courage to knock. She stood and waited for an answer or for someone to greet her at the door but no one came. She knocked again, this time loud. Still nothing. She was starting to get impatient and knocked again. She decided to see if the door was unlocked. It was.

            She invited herself in and closed the door behind her. The cabin was much smaller then her castle but that was to be expected. She looked around and started to cringe. The kitchen had leftovers out everywhere and dishes piled in the sink. The living room had empty soda cans and old bags of junk food scattered everywhere.

            “Hello?” Weiss called out. “Ruby It’s Weiss. I’m here for the classwork.”

            It was quiet. Weiss started to feel uncomfortable but decided to walk up the stairs. She passed a door with the same yellow heart she saw outside and stopped in front of a wooden door with a red rose painted on it. The door was cracked open and Weiss could peak inside.

            She decided to open the door and walk inside. She was about to lecture Ruby about how rude it was to not open the door for her. Before she opened her mouth she realized Ruby was still asleep. The girl was under a blanket from her hips down. The girl was curled up and hugging a pillow. She had on a black tank top. She skin was almost unnaturally pale.

            “I wonder if that’s her natural hair color or if she dyes the ends red? I assume its natural. People always think my hair is dyed.” Weiss thought. Ruby started to stir in her sleep and let out a whimper. Weiss’s eyes widened. Silver eyes slowly opened and looked at her.

            “Hey Weiss.” Ruby simply said. She was still waking up.

            “You dolt. I said I would be here at 10:00am” Weiss said annoyed.

            Suddenly Ruby sat up. “Oh no I overslept! Wait here.” Ruby dashed out of the room uses her super speed. Weiss heard a shower turn on. Weiss looked at Rubys bed and decided to make it. Once it was made she sat down on it and waited for Ruby. She looked around the room. Dirty clothes were everywhere and there didn’t seem to be an organization system of any kind for any of her things. Just looking at it stressed Weiss out. She heard the water turn off and Ruby quickly appeared back in the room in a black t-shirt with black jeans and her red hoodie on, her hair was dripped wet.

            “Sorry! I’m not much of a morning person” Ruby looked at her and started to awkwardly laugh. Ruby jumped on the bed next to Weiss. The action made Weiss a bit tense but she tried to give off a calm unchanged expression.

            “It’s fine. “ Weiss simply replied. They both sat there in awkward silence for a minute. Ruby didn’t want to say something stupid and make Weiss dislike her and Weiss wasn’t used to interaction with other people outside of the classroom.

            Ruby broke the silence finally. “So Weiss, are you feeling better? You missed class for a few days.” Ruby looked at her concerned.

            “ _I want Weiss to like me, as a person and not just a wolf, I can’t mess this up.”_ Ruby thought to herself.

            “It’s been a rough week. I think I’m getting better. I’ll be back Monday.” Weiss forced out a smile.

            _“Why does she even care? I have only been a jerk to her.”_ Weiss thought to herself.

            Ruby reached next to her bed and grabbed her backpack. She placed it on the bed in front of her and started to remove notebooks, loose papers, and textbooks. She started opening notebooks and looking at different loose sheets of paper. “Sorry. I’m not very organized.” Ruby said.

            She found the notes she each class and handed them to Weiss. Weiss looked at the pieces of paper for a second. The hand writing looked similar to that of a second grade boy. It was almost illegible. Random doodles were scattered randomly through out the notes. One caught her eye. It was a drawing of her unique snowflake symbol.

            “ _How did she know this was mine? Each family member as their own snowflake.”_ Weiss thought. She shook the thought out of her head and looked up at Ruby. She was looking at Weiss with a goofy facial expression. Weiss could tell the girl was nervous.

            “Thank you for the notes Ruby. Did I miss anything important at school the past few days? Any tests coming up?” Weiss asked.

            Ruby tensed up slightly. “Nothing big happened. No tests coming up that I know of. Its been pretty boring.” Ruby’s voice became quieter and she avoided eye contact with Weiss. “I missed you though.”

            Weiss felted weird suddenly. She could feel her face heating up and her heart beating faster. “ _Why is this girl making me feel like this? Do I actually care about what she thinks?”_ Weiss thought. She looked at Ruby, who was still avoiding eye contact with Weiss after her comment, the girl was shaking alittle bit. The pale skin on her face was slightly flushed. Her silver eyes looking at the corner of her room. Her black hair slightly covering one of her eyes. _“I actually do care. I want her to be my friend. This is strange.” Weiss thought._

She quickly regained her composure before speaking again. “Ruby you don’t have to be nervous around me.” She stated bluntly.

            Ruby was taken back from the statement. She awkwardly grinned at Weiss. “I’m sorry. I’m really awkward around people. I guess I’m just alittle nervous because I want to be your friend. I want you to like me.” She started fiddling with a piece of paper.

            She felt her heart beating after and her face was becoming even warmed. Ruby looked at her and moved closer to her on the bed. She put down the piece of paper and moved her hand and placed it on Weiss’s forehead.

            “Are you feeling alright? It feels like you’re getting a fever.” Ruby said in a concerned tone as she removed her hand.

            “I’m fine Ruby. If I am going to be honest with you, I’m a bit nervous as well. Its not easy for me to make friends. I don’t think I actually have any.” Weiss sighed.

            Rubys face lite up and she leaned in toward Weiss with a huge smile on her face. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Ruby asked in a high and excited voice.

            Weiss backed up on the bed slightly and this time, she was the one to avoid eye contact. “Yes Ruby. I’m saying I want to be your friend.”

            Ruby grabbed all her papers and threw them in the air and cheered. “I made a friend!”

            Suddenly the door to her bedroom opened. A girl stood in the doorway. She was wearing an orange tanktop and a pair of running shorts. She blonde hair was messy and she was rubbing her eyes. Weiss looked at her in surprise. _“Who is she? She looks really familiar. Have I seen her before?”_ She thought to herself.

            “What’s with the yelling?” Yang asked Ruby. Her purple eyes moved over and looked at Weiss and she started to grin. “And who is this?” She asked Ruby.

            “Sorry I woke you up Yang! This is my partner Weiss from school! She came to get notes.” Ruby turned and looked at Weiss and started to smile. “Also she’s my friend!”

            “That’s awesome Ruby!” She walked up to the bed and high fived Ruby and then turned to stand in front of Weiss. “My name is Yang. I’m Ruby’s awesome older sister.” Weiss looked at her confused. “I can tell by your face that you are surprised we are related. We are half sisters. My mother left us and my dad remarried.” Yang grinned.

            She was right. Physically Yang was completely different from Ruby. She had bright blonde hair, while Ruby had her jet black hair. Her eyes were purple. She was much taller and more muscular. Ruby was young so she still had some time to mature and grow but it was doubtful she would have the same body type of Yang. Just from this encounter Weiss could tell that Yang was much more charismatic, social, and outgoing compared to Ruby. The only thing that the two girls seemed to have in common was their pale complexion and rosey cheeks.

            Yang’s phone vibrated and she took it out and looked at it with a huge smile on her face. “I actually have to get ready now! I’m going to hang out with Blake today.” Yang said as she walked out of the room. She turned around with a sly grin on her face. “You two have fun.”

            “Hey Yang! We were going to clean the basement today!” Ruby called out.

            “Oh yeah! Can you start doing it without me? You’re the best!” Yang called back.

            Ruby sighed and flopped backwards on her bed in defeat. Weiss looked at her for moment and smiled. _“I have a friend.”_ Weiss thought.

            She got off the bed and stood up. “Get up Ruby. Lets go clean your basement.” Weiss said.

            Ruby sat up and looked at her surprised. “You would actually help me?” Ruby asked.

            “You dolt! Just by looking at your room I can tell you’ll need me. I don’t think you know how to clean.” Weiss started walking out of the room.

            Ruby surprised Weiss by running behind her and hugging her. Weiss stood still for a moment. She was completely stunned. No one ever really showed her any affection, not even her parents. It was a strange feeling.

            Ruby released her and dashed in front of her and started heading downstairs. “I’ll make us something to eat before we start!” Ruby said with a smile.

            Ruby started making pancakes in the kitchen. Weiss was about to take a seat but glanced over at the pile of dirty dishes in the sink and shivered. She walked up to the sink and started to clean them. Ruby turned and looked at her. “Weiss you don’t have to do that.”

            “Yes I do.” Weiss stated.

            She was finished cleaning the dishes before Ruby was done with the second round of pancakes. They heard a door open from upstairs and feet running down the stairs.

            Yang was wearing a pair of jeans, a light brown jacket with an orange shirt underneath, and a pair of aviator sunglasses. She grinned at both of them and grabbed a pancake and shoved it in her mouth. “See you guys later!” She waved and ran out the door.

            After the finished eating Weiss cleaned their plates and they walked to the basement door. “So I’m not sure how messy it is. I havnt been down there yet. It was super dusty and dirty here before we moved in. I don’t think someone lived in it for awhile.” Ruby said.

            She reached toward the door knob and twisted it. It was locked. “That’s weird. I don’t think we have the key for that room. Ill ask Yang about it when shes back.” Ruby said.

            Weiss stood there awkwardly. She didn’t know what to say next. She didn’t want to go back home but she had no idea what to do. She didn’t really know what Ruby liked to do.

            Ruby broke the silence. “Do you want to go for a walk? It’s a nice day.” Ruby said. Weiss responded by nodding her head and smiling. They both headed out the front door.

            Yang walked down the towns street with a huge smile on her face. She felt amazing today. Blake was the one who suggested they do something. Blake must have been warming up to her. It was so hard to even get her to smile a few days ago. She was also super happy because Ruby had made a friend. She knew Ruby talked to a few people at school but they were already in a group of friends that knew each other for awhile. This girl was different.

            She stood in front of the building at Blake had told her to meet her at. She got super excited. It was a lazertag place. Yang loved a good competition. She turned around when she felt a hand grab her shoulder.

            “Hey.” Blake simply said. Blake was wearing white jeans and a white shirt. Over the shirt she had on a black hoodie that was unzipped. She had on a black bow. She smiled at Yang.

            “We are going to play lazertag?” Yang asked in an excited tone.

            Blake giggled. “I thought you would like it.”

            Yang grabbed Blake’s hand and they both ran inside. Blake paid for both of them to do a few rounds. They got on their jackets and gun and ran onto the field.

            After the third game, Blake decided they should leave early. They had been winning every game but she was getting worried about Yang. Yang was going crazy and was definitely the one scoring the most points but she was running into stuff and falling. A bruise had formed on her arm.

            “We are leaving early? Why? We are destroying!” Yang said disappointed.

            “I know. You are doing great. I’m just worried you are going to hurt yourself.” Blake chuckled.

            “Oh? Does someone care about me?” Yang leaned up close to Blake and grinned which caused Blake to blush.

            “You got a bruise from running into someone.” Blake pointed at her arm.

            “This is nothing!” Yang laughed but decided to agree and end their lazertag adventure early. They both returned their gear and walked out and headed to an icecream shop. They both order a cone and sat down and ate them.

            Yang finished first and stared at Blake. Blake noticed and started to fidget. “What?” Blake asked.

            “Thanks for treating me.” Yang said with a warm smile. “It was awesome.”

            Blake smiled. “This is nothing compared to what you did for me.”

            Yang looked at her confused. “What did I do?” She asked.

            “Where do I start? I’ve only known you for a few days but you have shown me more kindness then anyone I have ever met. I told you about Adam and you didn’t leave me alone. In fact you started to talk to me more. You know the situation is bad but you are not pushing me to do anything. I always thought I was worthless. It was the only reason I was with him. I thought I could never have anyone else care about me. And lets not forget that book you gave me!” Blake told her.

            Yang giggled and grinned at her. “It sounds like someone has a crush on me.” She said.

            Blake’s face turned red and she started to stutter. “Shut up! You have ice cream all over your face.” Yang wiped her face.

            Yang leaned closer to Blake from over the table with a sly grin on her face. “What wasn’t a no.” She leaned back. “I’m glad you feel like this though Blake. Don’t believe anything Adam tells you. He should be lucky to have you! You are amazing. Honestly I hate the guy and I haven’t even met him.” Yang said.

            This time Blake was the one to smirk. “Sounds like someone is jealous.”

            “You wish! I’m just saying!” Yang exclaimed.

            “You actually make me feel like I can leave him though Yang. I want to leave him. I’m still scared to but I think I should. The only issue is I’ll have to find a place to leave and I’m poor.” Blake stated.

            “Well Ruby likes you! We have lots of room in our cabin for just the two of us!” Yang smiled.

            “I would feel bad.” Blake said.

            “Don’t. Anyways how about we get dinner. I’m hungry for something other then icecream!” Yang smiled.

            “I don’t think Adam will be home tonight. He’s away on a mission. You can come to our apartment and I can make us something.” Blake smiled.

            “That sounds awesome! Lets do it.” Yang smiled.

            They both headed out and walked toward Blake’s apartment. Yang had never seen it before and had no idea where it was or what it looked like. After about a 15 minute walk they finally arrived. Yang looked around. It was definitely in a bad part of town where you would want to keep your weapon with you at all times. Luckily her weapon changed into gold bracelets so she could always have them with her. They approached her apartment number and she started to unlock the door. Yang looked a few doors over and saw a nicely dressed man with orange hair and a cane handing a package to some younger looking people that were probably her age. One had green hair and the other had gray hair. The gray haired boy looked at her and glared.

            “Hey there kittycat! How are things with you and Adam?” the orange haired man called out.

            Blake looked annoyed. “They are fine Roman!” She called out as she opened the door to her apartment.

            He chuckled. “Well that’s some _bull._ Be careful kittycat. Someone might be angry if he knew you were hanging out with some blondie.”

            Yang and Blake entered her apartment. It was very small. The living room had just enough room for a couch and a tv. The kitchen was connected to it and had only what was needed. There was a small bathroom and two bedrooms. One bedroom looked like the one that they both shared. Yang cringed at the idea. The other one had the door closed.

            The place was dirty. Weapons were scattered everywhere and bulletholes marked the walls. Yang saw needles in a trashcan near by. The place probably had drugs hidden everywhere. Yang saw a shelf in the corner of the living room that had a good amount of books on it. The one she saw immediately was the one she had bought Blake. Blake turned and looked at her.

            “I know. This place is horrible.” She sighed.

            Yang quickly walked to her and hugged her. “Hey don’t worry. I know you have had a rough life. Thank you for trusting me enough to let me in.” Yang smiled.

            Blake started to cry. “Hey don’t do that please. I see you like the book I got you. “ Yang said as she comforted her.

            “I love it. I’ll make us something to eat now. Make yourself at home I guess.” Blake walked into the kitchen and started looking for something to make.

            Yang looked around and studied the room some more. She headed to the bathroom and closed the door behind her. After she was done she washed her hands and looked at her face in the medicine cabinet mirror. “ _Stay strong for her._ ” Yang thought to herself.

            Yang felt weak when she noticed something on the sink. It was a razor blade that had blood on it. She picked up the blade and started to shake. She put the blade in her pocket and splashed some water on her face and opened the bathroom door.

            She looked over and saw Blake busy away in the kitchen. She looked over at the door that was closed and decided to open it. She walked inside and stopped in her tracks. She was frozen because of what she saw.

            The room was darkly lite and the one window in the room was barred. In one of the corners of the room was a dirty mattress that was stained with blood. The metal bedframe in rested on had chains on them that were used to restrain people. Blood strains litter the floor and walls. Varies sharp objects rested on a shelf. This shouldn’t have been strange or upsetting. Blake had told Yang about the dirty work she had done in the past. She told Yang about the people she hurt. She told Yang about Adams work and how he tortured people. What really frozen Yang in place was one item out of place in the dark room. It was a book laying next to the bed. The cover was stained with blood. Yang could assume it was Blake’s.

            Blake looked out from the kitchen to see Yang standing in the doorway. She ran toward her and grabbed her. She hugged her tight. “Yang you weren’t suppose to see this room. Its Adam. Sometimes he brings people here to get information out of them. Sometimes its for fun.” Blake cried out.

            Yang didn’t respond. She didn’t move. Blake started to shake and hugged Yang tighter. She buried her head into Yangs shoulder. “Yang…” was all she could say.

            “The book.” Came out of Yang’s mouth. It could barely be heard. It was a whisper.

            Blake lifted her heard and let go of Yang. She walked further in the room and looked at the book. Blake started breathing harder. “ _I didn’t want her to see this.”_ Blake thought. She turned over and stood in front of Yang.

            Yang grabbed both her shoulders. She was shaking. She lifted her head and looked at Blake. Her face was covered in tears. “He left you in here.” Was all Yang could say.

            “When he was in a really bad mood or I did something he didn’t like he would lock me in here. Every time was different. Sometimes I was chained to the bed and he would have his way with me. Other times he would strip me naked and cut me up and watch me bleed. Sometimes he did both. Other times he could just lock me in here for days without food.” She explained. She didn’t cry. She was used to this treatment. Its what she thought she always deserved.

            Yang wrapped her arms around Blake and held her. Her head was resting on top of Blake’s and her face was buried in her hair between her cat ears. Blake could feel the tears making her hair wet.

            “Leave him. Please.” Yang whispered.

            “I’m afraid. He might try to kill me. He might try to kill you.” Blake said.

            “Let him try. I will fucking kill him if he hurts you one more time. I’m stronger then you think.” Yang whispered.

            “He has a gang. I’m technically in the gang.” Blake said.

            “I will fight as many people as I have to. Ruby would totally help. We are tougher then we look. Please.” Yang whispered.

            “I’ll pack my things.” Blake said.

            Yang didn’t know why she did it but she felt like she had to. She gently kissed the top of Blake’s head. She let go of Blake and wiped her tears away. “Ok. Lets grab your things and get out of here.”

            Weiss was leading Ruby along a path in the woods. They had spent the day walking through town. Heads were turning towards them and staring at them. It was starting to piss Weiss off. Ruby didn’t see to notice until Weiss pointed it out.

            “Why are they watching us?” Ruby asked.

            “Its because I’m here. I’m not well liked here because of my family. “ Weiss huffed out.

            Weiss and Ruby looked at a few stores and had dinner at a restaurant Weiss had chosen. She paid for their meals. She asked Ruby if she wanted to go walk in the woods now. She liked the woods better. She felt more at home there. People wouldn’t see her or judge her.

            “Where are you taking me? Ruby asked in a playful tone as she followed Weiss.

            “No where really. I just enjoy the woods. I feel more comfortable here. I guess its because I grew up in them. I don’t mind the city. I actually love shopping and going out to eat. What I don’t like are the people who stare at me and judge me for my bloodline.” Weiss said.

            They both stopped in a clearing where the grass was overgrown and up to their knees. They both laid down in the grass and just stayed there. They enjoyed each others company. It was nice.

            The silence was broken by the sound of buzzing from inside Ruby’s hoodie pocket. She took at her phone and looked at a text she just got. Ruby rolled to her side and faced Weiss. Weiss copied Ruby’s movement and turned to face her.

            “Hey Weiss. Halloween is next week.” Ruby stated.

            “Yes it is.” Weiss said.

            “Well um, yeah.” Ruby started getting nervous.

            “Ruby what is it? “ Weiss said and turned to look at her. Ruby turned to face Weiss.

            “Well my friend Jaune just texted me and told me that Nora and Ren were having a Halloween party next weekend. Do you want to go with me?” Ruby asked nervously.

            “Ruby they wouldn’t want me there.” Weiss sighed.

            “No they totally would! I don’t want to go alone! Ill feel uncomfortable. I talk to them at school but they are a tight group of friends. I think Ren and Nora are dating and I’m convinced that Jaune will be dating Pyrrha soon.” Ruby said.

            “Would you not go to the party if I refused to go?” Weiss asked.

            “Probably, unless Yang found out about the party and forced me to go. I’m not an extrovert like her. I don’t have people skills! I have weapon skills.” Ruby tossed her arms in the arm and made sound effects as she pretended to swing her invisible weapon. Weiss laughed at the dorky action.

            Weiss had so much fun today even though all they did was walk around. It was a simple but nice day.

            “ _Maybe it would be fun if I went to the party with her. I wonder what costume she would wear.”_ Weiss thought

            “Do we have to wear a costume?” Weiss asked and raised an eyebrow.

            “Yes! I haven’t picked mine out yet.” Ruby sighed.

            “I guess I could go if they are okay with it. I’ll feel alittle awkward though.” Weiss said.

            “Don’t worry! We can be awkward together!” Ruby said and giggled.

           

           

 


	9. A Shot In the Dark

**Chapter 9**

**A Shot In the Dark**

Everything is dark and dead. Ruby couldn’t make out her surrounding but it looked like the forest but everything was blurry. It almost looked like a painting where the trees, sky, and, ground, all blended together in a strange and unrealistic way.

            Ruby looked down at her hands and saw her pale hands glowing and look transparent. “ _What is going on?”_ Ruby thought outloud to herself.

            That’s when she saw her. A woman was running away. She was stumbling around and left a trail of blood behind her. It looked like she had been stabbed. Ruby couldn’t make out any physical features about the woman because she was wearing a red hood that draped over her entire body.

            The woman was panting and out of breathe. She sank down and rested under a stone pillar behind her. Her pale face peaked out from under her hood and a tear fell down her face. She sat there in silence until she was approached by a tall figure.

            The figure was wearing white. Many of his physical features were blurred out but Ruby could make out his white hair and huge scars that covered from his right eye down diagonally to his chin. The man drew a sword out at looked at the woman she a moment.

            Ruby screamed out for him to stop but her voice had become mute. The figure lunged at the girl and ruby used her speed to run in front of her. Everything went black.

            Ruby woke up in a panic. “ _It was only a dream._ ” She thought. She moved to get off her bed and that’s when she realized she had transformed into a wolf pup at some point. It was probably from the stress of the dream.

            Ruby decided it would be best if she went outside and got some fresh air. She discovered that being a small wolf pup wasn’t the easiest thing in the world. Her size made simple tasks, such as going down the stairs, into a challenge.      

            Once she stumbled down the stairs Ruby headbutted the door multiple times until it inched open enough for her to slip outside. Once she was outside she headbutted again until the door was closed.

            “ _We should probably build a doggy door.”_ Ruby thought to herself and she started to walk through the garden. It was a nice peaceful night. The sky was clear and the fresh smell of leaves surrounded the hair. Ruby sat in the roses and enjoyed the breeze.

            Ruby jumped from her place and her ears perked up when she suddenly heard a loud growl break the silence. A large black panther was in the garden and circling Ruby.

            Ruby started to whimper but quickly changed her stance and growled back at the panther. Ruby wasn’t very intimidating because of her small size so her growl only sounded like a small bark. The panther kept circling her. After the first growl the panther had remained silent.

            The panther was large enough for a person to sit on and ride. The panther was lean and flexible but still looked strong. It was completely black except for its yellow eyes. Something about its eyes felt familiar.

            Ruby finally made the connection. “ _That’s Blake!_ ” Ruby thought.

            The panther went unto the porch of the cabin a pulled a large blanket out and around it. She transformed under the blanket and wrapped herself up.

            “What are you doing up so late Ruby?” Blake asked.

            Ruby was stunned. She knew about Blake’s cat ears but didn’t know she could transform into a panther. Blake pulled out another blanket and tossed it ontop of Ruby. She understood the message and changed back.

            She looked at Blake with a confused expression.

            Blake chuckled and sat down on the porch and patted the spot next to her. Ruby sat down and continued to stare at Blake. “I guess I should explain myself.” Blake said.

            “As you know Ruby, I’m a cat Faunus. I have a lot of features that both humans and cats have. I love fish, I have cat ears, but I also look mostly human. All faunus are different. Its just genetics. Some have horns, others have ears, and some have tails. Theres so many different types of faunus and appearances that we can have. We also can have other traits that our animal has. I can see better in the dark compared to many humans. It really just depends. The animal inside is just similar to our Aura. I can use my faunus skills in a fight just like I can with my aura. Everything is connected. I can just change into a panther when I want to. Its that simple. In fact, I can change the size of my cat as well. I can be a small kitten or a huge panther. That took a lot of training to master though.”

            “I still have no idea about anything about my transformation. Theres a man who talks to me. I don’t think I’m a faunus but I can’t be human. It hurts not knowing what I am.” Ruby said. Her voice was starting to sound upset and shaky.

            “I don’t know either but I want to her you Ruby. I have some books on Faunus and curses and ill do some research. For right now you need to just relax. How about I teach you more about transformation and skills later?” Blake smiled at Ruby.

            “That sounds nice. Thank you.” Ruby said. Her voice was still upset

            “When I was younger I never had a family. I didn’t have friends. I was alone, other then the white fang. The only thing that kept me sane were my books. The put me in a different world and gave me hope. I wanted everything to work out in the end like they did in my books. They were stories about people who didn’t fit in by society but ended up working hard and saving the day.” Blake told Ruby.

            “Want to hear a story I always remember?” Blake asked.

            “Yes!” Ruby said in a happy voice.

            “This story is very old. It takes place before towns were made. People didn’t stay in groups because of lack of trust about everyone was spread apart. All humans knew not to travel at night. If they had to travel at night they had to avoid the forests at all costs. Monsters lived in the forests and were more active at night. Back then people didn’t know how to use Aura or powers and just had simple weapons. “

            “One night a girl decided to wonder off into the woods at night. She did not know about the dangers she would encounter because she never spoke to any other human. All humans avoided her because she looked different. The girl had shoulder length black hair and pale skin. She wore a red hood and usually had the hood up to cover her eyes. Her eyes were completely gray. Even her pupils were gray. This was very uncommon and people avoided her because of it.”

            “When the girl walked through the woods, one monster stalked her from the bushes. He thought she was strange for entering his woods with no fear. The girl was humming as she skipped down the path. The monster jumped out of the bush and stood infront of her and growled. She looked at the beast and smiled.”

            “The girl looked at the beast. The beast had the appearance of a wolf. His eyes were completely red but his fur was unique. The fur was black but glowed. It contained stars and planets. It had the universe inside of it and all types of Aura.”

            “The girl walked up to the beast and smiled at him. The beast became angry and yelled “Why do you show no fear? I am the God of this universe! I hold its power. I will not be disrespected by some human!” but the girl kept smiling. “I show no fear because I am not scared. I am alone in this universe. I can tell you are as well. We are different. May I join you?” the girl asked the beast.”

            “The beast was surprised but accepted the girls offer and let her follow him. It took months but the beast actually started to like the girl. He would create formations in the sky for her and she would look up and her eyes would light up. He showed the girl how he could shapeshift into different forms. He transformed into an outline of a man but he still glowed with stars.”

            “The girl was happy he was opening up. “Are you not a beast?” She asked. “I am the moon, the stars, the earth, fire, water, and I am everything in this world.” He hummed to her. “

            “Years went by and the girl had become a young woman. She stayed in the woods with the beast. “Don’t you ever want to see other humans?” He asked. She thought for a moment. “No. I have you. I have the world. I have so much happiness.” She said with a smile. This made the beast very happy.”

            “Soon their friendship had transformed into love. They left the woods and traveled together and saw the world. It didn’t take long for the young woman to give birth to her first child. The child wasn’t human or god. It didn’t take long for the woman to have more children. The number she had was never documented but the first 5 children are the most well known ones.”

            “At this point in time humans were starting to find out how to use semblances and wars were beginning. They were between other humans and also against monsters. These 5 children decided they were the ones that had to stop the fighting.” Blake said

            “Hey guys! What are you doing up so early!” Yang said as she opened the door. Blake jumped and turned around and waved at Yang.

            “I was telling Ruby a story. I’ll finish it some other time!” She smiled.

            Yang looked at both of them and raised an eyebrow. “Is there a reason you are both naked under those blankets?” Yang asked.

            “Blake and I both trans-“ Ruby was about to finish.

            “Ruby had transformed and I was taking a bath in the nearby creek when I found her!” Blake said.

            “Oh? Well I’ll be making us breakfast! Come in and get dressed” Yang said.

Ruby and Blake got up and went inside and headed upstairs to get changed. Ruby finished first and waited for Blake. Blake came out of her room. “Yang doesn’t know yet.” Blake stated.

            “Well you should tell her!” Ruby said.

            “Does Weiss know about the wolf pup?” Blake asked.

            “Well no.” Ruby said with a frown.

            “I’ll tell Yang if you tell Weiss.” Blake said with a smile.

            “Fine.” Ruby said. They both headed downstairs for breakfast.

After breakfast Ruby decided she was going to head to Weiss’s house to tell her about everything. She took out her house and texted Weiss that she was heading to her house. She said bye to Blake and Yang and headed out.

Blake was tired because she didn’t sleep much last night. She was too busy thinking about the choice she had made to move away and leave Adam. She knew the moment he came back it wouldn’t take long for him to track her down and she was afraid of what he would do to Yang and Ruby.

Yang saw Blake thinking and quickly picked up on what she was thinking about and tried to cheer her up. “How do you like your room? Is it okay?” Yang asked and sat next to Blake.

“Its great. Thank you. It was so kind of you to even put a bookshelf in my room. Are you sure it is okay with you that I stay here?” Blake asked.

“Its more than okay! I-we are so happy you are here! Don’t even worry about it.” Yang smiled

“Just tell me if I am ever trouble.” Blake said.

“You never will be. I do want you to do me a huge favor though Blake.” Yang said and put her hand on Blake’s shoulder.

“What is it?” Blake asked.

“I want you to come to me if you need anything. I don’t care how big or how small it is. I doesn’t matter what time it is either. You can come to be about anything. Please do this Blake.” Yang said in a serious tone.

Blake was surprised by how kind Yang was toward her. She was left speechless and stunned and just stared at Yang. Yang stared back at her with a very serious face.

Blake finally responded by nodding her head and it caused Yang to let out a huge grin. “Awesome!” Yang said

 

 


	10. An Awkward Situation

**Chapter 10**

**An Awkward Situation**

            Ruby was on her way to Weiss’s castle. She had the path there memorized by the number of times she had visited her friend. Usually she was very happy but not this time. She was deep in thought about the agreement she had with Blake. She was going to tell Weiss that she could transform into a wolf pup. She was nervous about it and had no idea about how she should even start that conversation?

            “Hey Weiss! Want to hear something funny? Well you know that wolf pup you hung out with for a few nights? The wolf pup you told some pretty deep stuff too? The one that you cuddled, pet, and kissed? Well, that was me. Thing is, there’s a wolf man in my head and hes not nice but we made a deal and now I can turn into a wolf!” Ruby said out loud to herself.

            She sighed. “How am I going to tell her? She’s going to be pissed.”

            Ruby kept walking to the castle quietly. She was so nervous. She knew Weiss wasn’t going to be happy when she finds out but Ruby has no idea about how she will react. Ruby started to overthink the situation and she was imagining Weiss angry, telling her to leave, not wanting to be her friend anymore, and never speaking to her again. Ruby felt like her life was about to end.

            Ruby was right outside the gate of the castle. She took a deep breath. “ _It’s now or never.” She thought._ She took out her phone and texted Weiss that she was right outside the gate.

            Ruby wasn’t looking where she was going and tripped on a root of a tree that had surfaced. Before she could regain her balance she ended up falling onto the ground.

            Her eyes went wide and her ears twitched. She realized she landed on paws. The stress made her transform into a wolf pup. She tried to scream no but all that came out of her mouth was a howl.

            She knew she had to act fast because Weiss knew she was here. She grabbed her clothes in her mouth and dragged them to the side near a tree. She started to look around and make sure it was safe so she could transform back and get her clothes on quickly.

            “There you are!” a voice called out.

            Ruby’s ears perked up and her eyes went wide. “ _That’s Weiss’s voice. I have to get out of here.”_ Ruby thought.

            Before she could make a run for it, she was scooped up in the arm by Weiss. Ruby let out a whimper and tried to wiggle away but it was pointless. Weiss had her. She looked up at the white haired girl. She was looking down at Ruby with a warm and happy smile.

            Weiss turned and started to carry Ruby back into the castle. “I haven’t seen you in a few days. I was starting to think I would never see you again.” Weiss said as she opened her door.

            She headed to her room with the pup in her arms. She cradled her gently. Weiss was relaxed and happy. She had truly missed the wolf pup and she knew Ruby was on her way so she was excited to show the pup off to her friend.

            Ruby, on the other hand, was freaking out. She tried to act calm because she didn’t want to hurt Weiss’s feelings because she knew Weiss liked the pup but Weiss had no idea that the pup was Ruby. She didn’t want to make the situation even more awkward. The second Weiss wasn’t looking she had to make a run toward an exit to the castle and to her clothes.

            Weiss opened the door to her room. It was clean and looked expensive. Her desk was covered with textbooks and notes. She had jewelry boxes on her dresser. Her bed was neatly made.

            She looked down at the wolf pup and gave her a huge smile before hugging her gently and falling backwards onto her bed. She release Ruby from her arms and the pup sat on her chest.

            “I really was worried you had left but I’m glad you didn’t.” Weiss said out loud to the pup.

            “Something crazy happened since I saw you last.” Weiss said as she sat up and reached for a hairbrush. She placed Ruby in her lap and started brushing the pup’s fur.

            “ _This feels really nice.”_ Ruby thought. _“But I need to leave as soon as possible.”_

            “I told you about Ruby Rose, I believe. She’s my partner at school. When I first met her she annoyed me so much. She always was smiling and had this awkward cute laugh. She’s a dolt and I knew having her as a partner was going to be a problem. The annoying thing was, she kept talking to me and following me around. It was strange. She even wrote her phone number in my textbook.” Weiss said.

            “Well, the crazy thing is, I felt drawn to her. I felt like I wanted to talk to her and get to know her. She annoyed me so much but I still wanted to be around her. I still can’t explain why.” Weiss said before chuckling to herself.

            “ _Glad to know she thought I was annoying”_ Ruby thought to herself as Weiss brushed her.

            “Apparently she wanted to be my friend and the crazy thing was that I also wanted to be her friend. I went to her house to get some notes from the classes I missed but secretly I kind of just wanted to see her and talk to her. I think I know why. When I’m with her I don’t feel alone anymore. I feel like someone cares for me and that I am actually wanted for once in my life. I know she’s awkward and weird and we are completely different but honestly I am really happy she wanted to be my friend.” Weiss stopped brushing the wolf pup and gave the pup a gentle hug.

            Ruby was shocked and felt like crying. It was so sweet what Weiss had just said about her. She started to whimper quietly but felt Weiss’s soothing touch petting her and calming her down.

            “She seems like a dog person. She’s actually on her way here. You two can meet each other.” Weiss smiled.

She put Ruby down on her bed and went to the drawer of her night time stand and pulled out a light blue collar with her snowflake symbol on it. She reached over toward Ruby the wolf pup and put the collar on her. “I really like you and I want you to stay here. I can’t always see Ruby so when I can’t, I’ll have you. We can cuddle at night and I’ll take care of you! Money isn’t a problem. I can buy you the best food, medical care, and anything else you want or need.” Weiss smiled and pet the pup’s head.

            “Ruby will seriously love you though. You both are hyper and crazy. You guys can probably help each other get rid of some of that energy. You guys even kind of look the same. Black fur with fading into red at the ends and silver eyes. I like it! It’s cute.” Weiss giggled.

“ _Did Weiss just call me cute?!”_ Ruby thought.

“I wonder what’s taking her so long? She should be here by now.” Weiss said. She reached for her phone and looked at a text. Her face looked confused.

“Ruby said she’s outside but I didn’t see her? You stay here, okay? I’m going to go look for her.” Weiss said as she got up and left the room. Ruby sat and waited until she couldn’t hear Weiss anymore and got up. She climbed onto Weiss’s desk and onto the windowsill.

“ _Okay. I’m going to transform back and make a run to the gate surrounding the caste. I can’t go the front entrance because Weiss will see me. I’ll jump the fence and make a run to my clothes. I’ll stay in trees and bushes to hide and make sure its safe then I’m home free!”_ Ruby thought. She decided it was a good idea and jumped out the window.

As she was falling, she changed back. She felt her heart beating fast. She was completely naked and on Weiss’s land. Ruby used her speed to get to the fence that surrounded the castle and started to climb it. She was so made she had combat training because with her speed and skills, it made climbing the fence easy. Once she landed, she made a dash to the trees and jumped tree to tree to stay hidden.

She stopped in my tree and hide before the leaves. She saw Weiss looking around confused and calling for Ruby. Weiss took out her phone and called Ruby.

“Oh no.” Ruby whispered.

Ruby had managed to drag her clothes off the trail and near a tree but she forgot about her phone. Weiss heard it buzzing and walked over to the trail and picked it up. Weiss looked nervous but tried to stay calm. She called out Ruby’s name for a few more minutes before giving up and running into the house with Ruby’s phone.

Once Weiss entered the castle, Ruby jumped down and ran to her clothes and quickly put them on. She felt relieved. “ _Okay I have to play it cool. I can’t let her suspect a thing.”_ Ruby thought.

Ruby rubbed her neck and realized she was still wearing the collar and took it off and put it in her pocket. She climbed over the gate and run up to Weiss’s front door and knocked.

The door immediately opened and Weiss stood in front of her. She looked angry and her hands were placed on her hips. “ _Did she find out?”_ Ruby thought.

“Hey Weiss. Sorry I’m late. I lost my phone when I was walk here and-“ Ruby started to say.

“You dolt! Do you know how worried I was? I was about to call my families agents to go searching for you! Your phone was in front of my house!” Weiss huffed.

“I’m sorry Weiss. I really am! I didn’t mean to worry you.” Ruby said.

Weiss glared at her and after a few moments sighed and lowered her arms. She walked up to Ruby and gave her a hug before she handed back her phone. “Don’t do it again dolt. Come upstairs. Theres someone I want you to meet.” Weiss said and started walking up her starts.

The size of her castle always amazed Ruby. She could never imagine living her all by herself. Ruby would get lost just because of the number of halls and rooms there were.

Once they got to Weiss’s room she opened the door. Her face immediately turned into a frown and she looked around the room. She looked in her closets, bathroom, under her bed, and other places.

Ruby knew who she was looking for but had to play dumb. It broke her heart though. She looked over at Weiss who had stopped looking and just stood in front of her with her head lowered.

“What are you looking for?” Ruby asked.

“Nothing. Forget about it.” Weiss said coldly. She tried to sound emotionless but Ruby could see tears starting to form.

“Hey Weiss. Please don’t cry. I don’t know whats wrong but I’m here.” Ruby said and she hugged Weiss.

Weiss cried and hugged her back. “I know. Thank you.”

Back at the cabin Blake was sitting in the living room doing homework. She had to do it all today because class was tomorrow and she had some catching up to do. Yang sat on the couch and watched tv. After an hour she was starting to feel restless and got up.

Blake looked at her for a moment before going back to doing homework.

“Hey I’m going to go for a run. I have to keep this figure somehow.” Yang laughed and gestured to her body. Blake looked at her and rolled her eyes.

“I’ll be here doing homework. I’m having so much fun.” Blake said sarcastically.

Yang opened the door and headed out on her run. She loved going for runs. She sometimes went to the gym back at their old house but hated the fact she felt like a hamster running on a wheel, whenever she ran on those machines. Running in nature always felt nicer. She rather see nature then a bunch of sweaty smelly guys trying to show off.

Another reason she hated the gym was because of the men. They always flirted with Yang and it pissed her off. She hated people who just saw her as an attractive female and not for who she truly was. Yang was a fighter. She was an amazing fighter and a free spirit.

Yang had been in a few relationships before but broke them off quickly. She was never romantically attracted to anyone she had dated. She needed a physical release. She didn’t have sex before but she had done a lot of different things. She hated herself after she did them. Since her parents were never around she felt like she had to take care of Ruby and decided she didn’t have time for a relationship. She also hated how she felt controlled. She didn’t feel free anymore. She had someone breathing down her back getting upset if she went somewhere without telling them. She wasn’t about that life.

She wasn’t opposed to a relationship but decided she would wait to find someone who liked her for who she was and not her body. She would just go with the flow. If it happened, then it happened. Gender didn’t matter. What did matter was how they treated Ruby and if Ruby liked them.

Yang broke out into a sweat and was huffing as she ran. She had gone about 6 miles before stopping and taking a break. She wiped the sweat from her forehead. “ _I need to buy some weights so I can start working my muscles again. I have to stay in shape.”_ Yang thought.

She was proud of how strong she was and loved her semblance. She got stronger the more damaged she took. She loved it. She also loved her weapons. Her father helped her make them after he had trained her for a few years. It was one thing he was useful for. He was a great kickboxer.

She turned around when she heard trees rustling. “Who’s there?” Yang called out.

Suddenly a group of at least 20 men jumped down from the trees. The men wore white animal masks with red markings on them. They each wore the same white outfit with a symbol of a beast with red claw marks across it. Yang heard Blake talk about the white fang. “ _This has to be them.”_ Yang thought.

“Hey there cutie. What are you doing all alone in these woods?” One of the men asked.

“Just going for a run.” Yang said. She knew she had to get ready to fight them. Honestly she was excited. It had been awhile.

“You should be careful.” One of them said and started laughing. They all slowly surrounded her and started walking closer.

“Yeah blondie. Theres a bunch of creeps out here.” Another one said.

All the members pulled out swords and grinned at her. “Now why don’t you come with us? We will make sure you are okay.” Another man said.

“And where would you take me?” Yang asked. She didn’t move an inch.

“Our boss.” He replied.

“That sounds really fun but I’m afraid I’m going to have to refuse.” Yang said and smiled.

“Dumb idea kid.” A man said and all at once the members went at her with their swords.

Yang smiled and her bracelets turned into her weapon. She used the shotgun to boost her into the air and onto a nearby tree. She looked down and smiled at them.

They all growled at her. She hit her fists together and her hair began to glow. She boosted herself back toward them and quickly hit two of the members. The tree behind her fell over.

The members she hit were already knocked out. A group of 8 of them ran at her and she dodged each of their attack and kicked one of them into the air while she punched another. The guy in the air tried to strike her but she blocked the attack with her weapon and used her shotgun attachment directly on him. She quickly took out the other men.

“We underestimated you blondie.” One of them yelled. More men ran at her. She easily dodged and punched them all.

“You boys are making this too easy.” Yang smiled.

All the remained was one man who glared at her. “Even if you stop us, more will keep coming!” He yelled.

“That shouldn’t be a problem. You all suck.” Yang said.

“We are the lowest rank in the white fang. You couldn’t even take our squads leader on, you hot headed stupid bitch!” He yelled.

Yang was getting annoyed and ran at her and punched him in the stomach. A burst of her aura shot out at him.

She stared at the group of passed out men for a moment. “ _Adam must be their boss. How does he know who I am though?”_ Yang thought. She turned and started running back to the cabin.

A shadow was watching from a tree in the distance as Yang ran away. The figure nodded and then shattered and disappeared.

Yang reached the cabin quickly and realized no one had come while she was gone and that Blake was fine. She didn’t want to worry Blake so she had to act like knowing had happened on her run.

She opened the door and walked inside. She took her shoes off and walked toward the couch and turned on the tv. Blake looked up at her and her ears twitched.

“What happened?” Blake asked.

“What do you mean? I just went for a run” Yang said.

“There’s a bruise on your arm.” Blake stated.

“Oh this?” Yang awkwardly laughed. “I tripped while I was running and banged up my arm a bit.”

“That’s bullshit. The bruise is shaped like fingerprints.” Blake said. She got up and sat next to Yang on the couch. “What happened?” Blake repeated.

Yang gave up trying to cover it up. “Damn it. You are observant” Yang said.

“While I was out running a group of white fang members surrounded me and told me I had to go with them to their boss. I refused of course. It led to a fight. I beat them all up. It was fine.” Yang told her.

“Yang this isn’t fine. Adam knows who you are! He’s looking for you. He wants you dead!” Blake cried out.

“Hey Blake. Look at me.” Yang said and gently grabbed Blake’s face and turned it to look at her. Her golden eyes locked onto Yang’s purple ones.

“I’m here and I’m alright. I didn’t even have to use my semblance. I’m not afraid. I’m going to keep you safe and away from him. This was bound to happen. It’s better to just pull the bandaid off.” Yang said with a smile.

Weiss and Ruby had been hanging out at the castle for a few hours. Weiss was giving Ruby a tour of the hour and sharing the history of her family. She avoided mentioned the corrupt parts about her family. Ruby was bouncing around and reacting to every small detail.

“This place is huge!” Ruby yelled. She heard her voice echo and she giggled.

“Its nice but it starts to get annoying since I rarely see my parents.” Weiss stated.

“Are they always away because of work?” Ruby asked.

“Basically. I rarely hear from them but when I do they are angry because of something. Its either work related or just something random going on in their life. They take it out on me though. My father was always angry. It wasn’t a great childhood. My parents started to go on business trips more often a few years ago. Now they rarely visit.” Weiss sounded annoyed.

“I’m sorry Weiss. Yang and I barely see our dad.” Ruby said

“Whatever. I fucking hate them. My mom lets dad do whatever he wants. She’s a bitch and all she does is do tell me to look nice or make my father happy. She’s so annoying. My dad wants me to be perfect at everything and I try to be. If I mess up just alittle bit then he yells at me and makes me feel horrible. When they visit they just tell me what I do wrong. They haven’t been home for my birthday in years. Holidays are painful when they are here. I fuck them so much. I wish they were dead.” Weiss said

Ruby froze when she heard Weiss say that last sentence. Ruby felt like she was going to shut down. Then she heard a man start to laugh inside her head.

“ ** _Does that upset you Ruby? Does that make you remember anything? Do you remember your mother? I wonder where she is? She just disappeared after THAT day. Yang’s mom left as well. Your father shut down and who knows what he does when he is goes. I wonder if hes actually working. Maybe hes just out with his other family some where else. Maybe hes fucking a bunch of people. Maybe hes just drinking away the pain of knowing his youngest daughter is a failure.” The wolf man said and laughed like a made man._**

Ruby felt like she was going to put down but she had to keep it in.

**_“Its all your fault Ruby!” He yelled at her._ **

“Shut up!” she screamed. Weiss looked at her confused.

Her confusion quickly turned to worry and concern when she saw Ruby shaking. “Ruby whats wrong?” She said and reached to comfort her.

Ruby screamed and slapped her hand away and turned and ran out of the castle. She used her speed and headed to the cabin.

“ ** _That’s it! No one cares about you! No one loves you!” He screamed_**

She slammed her front door open. Yang jumped up and turned to see Ruby. She quickly ran up to her sister and held her tight in her embrace. She broke down and started sobbing.

Yang picked her up and held her as she carried Ruby upstairs and into her bedroom and placed her in bed. She laid with Ruby for 30 minutes until she Ruby’s sobbing stopped. Yang looked down at her and saw that she had fallen asleep.

She quietly got up and closed the door behind her. She walked downstairs and Blake looked at her concerned. “What’s wrong with Ruby? Is she okay now?” Blake asked.

“Thank you for your concern. Ruby is very upset. I didn’t ask her what was wrong because she was clearly too upset to tell me the story but she sobbed out a few words and I can piece it together.” Yang said and plopped down on the couch next to Blake.

“Did Weiss insult her? That girl thinks she can do whatever she wants because of her family!” Blake said.

“No but I think Weiss was talking about her parents and it triggered Ruby.” Yang said.

“Oh.” Blake said.

Yang sighed and rested her bed on Blake’s shoulder. The gesture surprised Yang but she liked it. They stayed like that for a few minutes before they heard a soft knock on the door.

Yang got up and opened the door. Weiss stood in front of her. She was fidgeting with her jacket when Yang opened the door.

“Hello Yang. I believe we met before. I was here to check on Ruby. She let my house and seemed very upset.” Weiss said nervously

Yang said nothing and just stared at her.

“I swear I didn’t do anything to hurt her on purpose!” Weiss said.

“Come in Weiss.” Yang said. Weiss walked into the cabin and Yang pointed to a chair in the living room. Weiss sat down and looked over at Blake. Yang sat down across from Weiss and nodded at Blake. Blake got up and headed upstairs.

Weiss was so nervous. Ruby’s sister was big and buff and she was afraid she had done something to hurt Ruby. She had no idea what happened. Yang was staring at her with a serious expression. They remained quiet for a moment before Yang spoke.

“What were you and Ruby talking about before Ruby left your house?” Yang asked.

“I was giving her a tour of my castle. Then I started to rant about my parents because they always yell at me and treat me bad. I think the last think I said was that I wish they were dead.” Weiss said

Yang nodded.

“That’s it, I swear! I don’t know what happened. The next thing I know Ruby yelled at me to shut up and was standing in front of me shaking and then I reached to hug her and she slapped my arm away and dashed out of my house with her semblance.” Weiss said.

“Did Ruby ever tell you about our parents?” Yang asked.

“Not really.” Weiss replied.

“I give you a quick summary of each of them. Don’t repeat it to Ruby.” Yang said in a serious tone.

“I won’t” Weiss said.

“You can’t.” Yang said. Her eyes turned red and she glared at Weiss.

“I wont! I promise” Weiss cried out

“Okay good.” Yang’s eyes turned back to their purple tone. “My mother, her twin brother who is our uncle, our father, and Ruby’s mother were all on a team together. They met when they were around out age. My father started to date my mother during school and after a few years they had me. My mother left my father after I was born. I have no memory of her. I don’t even know what she looks like. My father doesn’t know why she left.” Yang paused for a moment before she continued.

“A few years after my mother left, my father started dating Ruby’s mother. She was amazing. She was so much like Ruby. They even look alike. She was strong but loving. Ruby was born and my father married her mother. Our uncle would visit us all the time. He hadn’t seen my mother either. Everything seemed to be going great. My father was happy. I loved having a little sister. Qrow was always around. Summer felt like the mother I had always wanted. But one night everything changed.” Yang said.

“What happened?” Weiss asked

“Ruby killed our mother.” Yang said as a tear rolled down her cheek.

 


	11. Summer Falls

**AN: I love cliffhangers. I feel slightly evil for ending the last chapter like I did but I love it. I got a request to make POV changes more clear and I will try to do this in future chapters. Thank you everyone for the support and motivation to keep writing!**

**Chapter 11**

**Summer Falls**

            “Ruby killed our mother” Yang said outloud. A tear rolled down her face.

            “What?” Weiss said. She was shocked. She was not expecting Yang to say anything like that. Ruby had told her that her mother had left because of work but not that she died. It seemed impossible that Ruby would have killed her mother. What reason did Yang have to lie to her though.

“ _Ruby couldn’t have done something like that_. _She’s so quiet and gentle. She couldn’t have killed her mother.”_ Weiss thought. Weiss looked over at Yang, who had remained quiet. She was taking deep breaths and fighting back tears. They remained in silence for what felt like hours. Weiss kept going over and trying to process what Yang had just told her.

Finally Weiss couldn’t take it any longer and spoke up again. “What do you mean Ruby killed her mother? I don’t understand.” Weiss said.

Yang’s purple eyes stared directly into Weiss. Weiss could feel herself began to shake because she was overwhelmed with so many emotions.

Yang took a final deep breath. “I guess I should explain from the beginning.” She said.

“I told you that my mother, father, Ruby’s mother, and our uncle were all on a team together. My father and mother had me but shortly after I was born, my mother just left us. My father was broken but Summer was there for him when my mother left. Soon they fell in love and gave birth to Ruby. Everyone was so happy when she was born. Once Summer moved into our house, I accepted her as my mother. There was no question. When Ruby was born, I was so happy because I was a big sister.

Ruby looked just like Summer. They both were very pale, had black hair and red tips, and had those unique gray eyes. The more Ruby has grown up, the more I see Summer’s personality in her as well. They always see the good in people and are always trying to help others.

We all lived in a small cozy house up north in the mountains. Not a lot of people lived near us but we were surrounded with nature and we loved it. When I was about 5 years old I discovered my semblance and was so happy. My father told taught me the basics of fighting because I loved going on adventures and exploring and he knew he couldn’t stop me, the older I got. Summer would go on mini adventures with me. We would go climbing up mountains or swim in lakes. I would come home covered in cuts and bruises and she could patch me up and bake cookies.

Everything felt great and everyone was happy. My father loved his family and everything felt perfect. Qrow would come visit all the time. Any conversation about my mother was avoided but he loved spending time with us. Ruby always wanted Qrow to hold him whenever he came to visit. Even though they were not related by blood, Qrow treated Ruby like family. Qrow is the best uncle ever.

When he would visit, I would show him new bruises I got and tell him stories about how I got them from climbing trees or rolling down hills. He would ask me about my training with my father and how I used my semblance. He taught me about Aura and semblance and how my skills are an extension of who I am. He said my semblance is my strength but also tells me about my burdens. I didn’t understand what he meant.

When I turned 8 years old Summer gave me the greatest gift ever. We built my first weapon together. I was always extremely jealous about how cool her weapon was. I made a pair of Gold and Red gauntlets that I loved. I out grew them since then but I will always treasure them.

Everything in life was great. I had an awesome mother, a loving father, a goofy uncle, and the best baby sister I could ask for. Sadly, all good things have to come to an end. It happened so quickly and so suddenly. No one could have know what would have happened that night.

I was playing with Ruby in the front yard. Summer, my father, and Qrow were sitting on the porch talking while we played. We were playing a mixture of hide and go seek tag. I was 8 and Ruby was 6. Ruby was always hyper so it was a good way to take some of that energy out of her at the end of the day. I always let her win because I’m an awesome big sister.

Anyways, I was “it” and I was looking for her. I found her hiding behind a tree. “I found you!” I called out and chased her.

“You can’t catch me Yang!” She giggled and started to run.

I started jogging toward her. I was going to let her run for awhile before I actually tried to catch her but something strange was happening. When I decided to speed up and tag her, Ruby went faster. I actually couldn’t catch her.

“I’m going to get you! No one can escape me!” I called out while I ran. I was starting to get out of breathe.

“You can’t catch me!” She giggled.

She was right. I couldn’t catch her. She was running quickly. The adults looked up at us and all stood up.

At this point I had given up and was just standing in the middle of the yard watching Ruby run circles around me in a blur. I looked over at my family and Summer smiled.

That was the day Ruby discovered her semblance was speed. She couldn’t control her speed though.

“Yang don’t give up! Catch me!” She giggled and I did try. I tried to watch her and pounced when I thought she was close, but I ended up just falling face first into the ground.

“Mommy, Daddy, uncle Qrow! Look how fast I am!” she called out toward them. She wasn’t looking where she was running though and tripped. We lived on a hill and at the speed she was running, she fell, and she fell hard. I could hear the sound of her body hitting the ground and beginning to tumble down the hill. On the way down the hill she hit rocks, and trees. All I remember was seeing my mother get up and use her speed to chase after her.

She ran Ruby back up to our house on the top of the hill. Ruby was covered in blood and it looked like one of her arms and legs were bent in an unnatural way. Ruby was in shock. She was asking what happened. Ruby was losing a lot of blood fast and the closest hospital to us was over an hour away.

Qrow held the door open for Summer as she ran inside and my father was the kitchen getting a bowl of warm water and medical supplies. Summer ran Ruby to her bedroom and placed her in bed. My father came in shortly after her. I walked toward the bedroom but Qrow stopped me.

“I think you and I should stay out here kiddo. Lets sit on the couch.” Qrow said. I refused and tried to keep heading to the bedroom but Qrow grabbed me and forced me to stay with him. My father closed the door to the bedroom so I couldn’t see what was happening.

“Mommy what’s wrong?” Ruby asked.

“Sweety, you fell and got hurt. I’m going to help you feel better but its going to hurt. I need you to hold daddy’s hands and hold them tight.” Summer said and kissed Ruby’s forehead. Ruby used her good arm to hold onto her father’s hand.

Summer quickly took off all of Ruby’s clothes and tossed them to the floor. She had cuts everywhere but had a very deep one in her stomach from where a branch had stabbed her. Summer poured hydrogen peroxide into the wound and Ruby began to scream in pain. She let go of her father and began to try to get off the bed. Her father held her down as Summer cleaned her wounds and stopped the bleeding. Once she did that, she wrapped up the cuts.

She treated the arm and leg the same way. Ruby screamed in pain when they touched her broke bones and passed out. I could hear the screams from outside and I thought she died when my parents came out of the room. They were both covered in her blood and quiet. They told Qrow that they stopped the bleeding and that she would be okay.

“She has your semblance Summer. Does this mean she also has….?” Qrow started to ask.

“Most likely. I will talk to her and teach her how to control it.” Summer said.

We all sat in the living room that right. I couldn’t sleep. None of us could. Summer played a game with me to try and distract me. I finally ended up falling asleep.

At about 4am Ruby woke up. They heard sounds coming from the room and they all went inside. Ruby woke up and flung her arm and broke an arm. She was gasping for breath and in a panic. Qrow approached her and tried to calm her down. “Hey honey. Its me, uncle Qrow. You took a fall and got hurt but your mommy helped you.” Qrow said

Ruby just started breathing faster and harder. She started screaming and didn’t want anyone to touch her. Qrow reached to pet her good arm but she screamed again and her eyes turned red. She swung at him and he crashed against the bedroom wall and passed out.

Her screams became unnatural and her injuries all healed suddenly. My parents tried to calm her down but she changed- “ _I don’t want to tell Weiss about the wolf so I’m going to keep this vague. Ruby will tell her about the wolf when the time is right.” Yang thought._ She changed and she wasn’t Ruby anymore. The bedroom wall was destroyed and she ran out of the house. My parents chased after her. They didn’t want to hurt her but they needed to stop her and calm her down.

My father ran at Ruby but she cut him and he suffered a deep wound in the chest. Ruby grabbed him and threw him against a tree and he passed out.

I was still in the house but all the noise had woken me up. I went to the bedroom and saw Qrow passed out and the hole in the wall. I ran after them by following the destroyed trees and drops of blood.

Summer kept trying to stop Ruby without hurting her. She had the same change that Ruby had and had her speed. I froze in place when I saw them fighting. Summer was covered in blood and neither of them looked like themselves anymore. I could still feel Summer inside her change but Ruby was no where.

“Mom, Ruby?” I called out.

Suddenly Ruby’s red eyes looked at me and she came at me with her speed. Summer screamed out and blocked Ruby. She hit Ruby with the dull side of her weapon and knocked her out but not before Ruby had given her a fatal blow. Ruby had clawed straight through Summer to try and get to me. I was covered in her blood.

Ruby fell to the ground, passed out. I looked at Summer and she smiled warmly at me. She slowly walked to me. Blood pooled behind her. She gave me a warm hug and a kiss. I started to cry.

“Mom! We have to fix you! We can stop the bleeding just like we did for Ruby!” I started to cry.

She looked at me and shook her head. “We can’t fix this Yang. Its okay. I need you to listen to me. I don’t have much time left.” She said weakly.

I fought back tears and nodded.

“Yang, never stop being you. Keep having fun and going on adventures. You are a beautiful girl and will become an even more beautiful woman. People are going to underestimate you and not look pass your looks. Show them how strong and passionate you are! Never stop fighting, smiling, and loving.” Summer said

“Mom please don’t leave me! I need you.” I said as tears streamed down my face. She wiped them away.

“I’m not leaving you. I will always be with you. Every time you feel that warmth inside of you that is fueling you to do what you what, know that that feeling is me. I’m always with you.” She said.

I nodded. “I love you.” Tears dripped down my face again.

“Your father is going to be broken when he fines out but tell him its no ones fault. Tell him to try and be happy and love you children. You are the best thing in this world.” She said.

“I wish there was more time. I wanted to see you children grow and do what you love. You guys are special and are going to do a lot of amazing things and help a lot of people.” She smiled at me and tears started forming in her eyes.

“Please don’t tell Ruby she killed me. She isn’t ready to hear it. You will know when to tell her when the time comes. Please just help her and look out for her until them.” She reached into her pocket and handed me a key.

“You’ll know what this opens one day. Keep it safe for now. I need you to tell Ruby this when she is ready.” She whispered something into my ear. Summer kissed my head. “I love you and Ruby so much.” She said. “You guys are the best thing that ever happened to me”

She started to glow and she touched her forehead against my own. I felt something strange but I couldn’t focus on it. I just started to cry.

Head fell onto my lap and became lifeless. I sat there and cried. I don’t know how long it was until I felt Qrow gently touch my shoulder. He took me inside and started a warm bath and I got inside. He told me he would be right back. He carried in my father, Ruby, and Summer.

Eventually my father woke up and found out what happened. He broke down he tears and blamed himself. I couldn’t tell him or Qrow what Summer had told me . We were all broken and upset.

When Ruby woke up she was confused and asked what happened. She looked around and asked where Summer was. My father was the first to speak up.

“She had to go on a mission for work last night! She won’t be back for awhile but she said she loves you!” He said while fighting back tears.

“That’s too bad! I always miss her when she goes on missions! I hope shes back soon!” Ruby said and smiled.

The next day we moved to the city and moved in with Qrow. Ruby was upset but we told her it was because of school. My father had become a mental wreck and we rarely saw him after that day.

Qrow watched over us and taught Ruby about her semblance and most of what we know today. He helped her build a weapon as well. Soon he was busy with work though and it was just me and Ruby. I wanted to be the best big sister I could and protected Ruby from everything, bullies, jerks, and society.

It was me and her, alone in the world. We had to make it work. Over the years Ruby slowly stopped asking about Summer and when she would return or if she made mailed us anything. I know she still misses her.

The reason we moved here was because a group of kids were making fun of Ruby for how she looked, sounded, and acted. I beat them up and it was our final warning at the school.

I know Ruby still struggles with depression and feels alone most of the time. I don’t blame her. She has a lot going on.” Yang said

Weiss and Yang sat in silence for a moment before Weiss stood up.

“Why did you tell me all this?” Weiss demanded.

“Are you afraid of Ruby now?” Yang asked.

“No! I could never be afraid of her! Ruby is still Ruby! Nothing has changed! Everyone has problems but none of that matters!” Weiss yelled at Yang.

“Good.” Yang said.

“Good?! That’s all you have to say? How dare you even ask me if I would be afraid of Ruby. Ruby likes me! She’s the first person to ever want to be my friend! I like her and will help her with her problems!” Weiss said.

Yang looked at Weiss and smiled.

“Why the fuck are you smiling?!” Weiss yelled.

“Ruby picked did a good job by finding you as a friend. I like you and your attitude.” Yang said.

Weiss grunted and huffed at Yang. She crossed her arms and eventually calmed down. “Thank you for telling me about this. I was really worried that I had fucked up and upset Ruby. Is she okay?” Weiss asked.

“She was pretty upset when she came home but I cuddled her in bed until she fell asleep. She should be fine.” Yang said.

“I need to tell her I’m sorry.” Weiss said.

“You will. Don’t worry about it to much.” Yang said.

“I can’t help it! Shes upset and it was my fault!” Weiss said and started to freak out until Yang grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into a hug. Weiss tensed up at first but calmed down into the hug.

“I’m glad you care about her. Do you want to go up to her room and see her now?” Yang asked.

“Yes. If that is alright.” Weiss said.

“That’s fine with me.” Yang said and chuckled.

“Can you let go of me now?” Weiss asked. She felt a bit uncomfortable because her face was set inbetween Yang’s breasts. “ _Why do I have to be so short? Hugs are always so weird.”_ She thought.

Yang laughed and let go of her. Weiss started walking up to the bedroom but stopped when Yang called out for her. She turned around on the stairs and faced her.

“If you tell Ruby I told you any of this, any of the story at all. I will have to fight you Princess.” Yang said in a deep and threatening tone.

Weiss stood in shock and agreed not to say a word. “I promise.” Weiss said and turned and kept going up the stairs.

She got to the door with the rose craved into it and slowly and quietly opened the door. She peaked in and saw Ruby in her bed sleeping. She was laying on her back and her mouth was slightly opening. She was breathing softy. Weiss could tell she had been crying because her eyelids were red and her cheeks were flushed.

She slowly opened the door enough so she could walk inside. She turned and closed the door behind her. It made the room dark again. Weiss’s eyes had not adjusted to the dark yet and she tried to quietly walk across the room and avoid waking up Ruby.

She did not see a shoe that was left in the middle of the room and she tripped on it and fell face first onto the side of Ruby’s bed. Her head hit the bed but she fell onto the floor and landed on her knees. The thud woke up Ruby and she began to stir. She slowly sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes. She looked toward the end of bed. She looked slightly confused.

“Weiss?” Ruby called out in a sleepy tone.

“Why are you so messy Dolt?” Weiss asked.

“What are you doing in my room?” Ruby asked.

Weiss suddenly became very flustered by the question and avoided the answer. “I just thought I would come visit you.” Weiss said.

“Weiss its 3 in the morning.” Ruby stated.

“So?” Weiss said.

Ruby looked at her and started to grin and laugh.

“What’s so funny Dolt?” Weiss said in an annoyed tone.

“Did you come here because you wanted to make sure I was ok? Does someone secretly care about me?” Ruby said with a smile.

Weiss turned red but Ruby couldn’t tell because it was dark. “Of course I care, Idolt!” Weiss said

“Weiss!” Ruby called out and pulled Weiss onto the bed and into her arms. Weiss turned red and awkwardly sat up in Ruby’s lap and hugged her back. Her arms were shaking but she tried to relax them. Ruby felt warm and she still had a blanket around her.

“I’m sorry about earlier. I get upset and angry when I think about my parents. I didn’t mean to upset you.” Weiss said into the hug.

“That’s okay Weiss. I get upset when I think about my parents. You just reminded me about them alittle bit when you mentioned you parents. I miss my mother. I haven’t seen her in a long time.” Ruby said.

“I haven’t seen my family in a long time as well.” Weiss said.

They stayed hugging each other for awhile. Ruby decided she wanted to lay down again at some point and plopped onto the bed. She pulled Weiss down with her and Weiss fell on top of Ruby. Ruby still held onto her. Ruby eventually let go on Weiss rolled next to her.

“I should go on the couch and sleep since we have class in a few hours.” Weiss said.

“No! Just stay here. There’s plenty of room on my bed for both of us. You can sleep here.” Ruby said.

“Fine Dolt. If that will make you happy.” Weiss said.

“It does!” Ruby said.

They both laid in bed in silence. Ruby ended up curling up into her side and started falling asleep again.

“Hey Ruby.” Weiss quietly said.

“Hmm?” Ruby answered.

“Thank you for being my friend.” Weiss said.

“I’m happy to have you.” Ruby said and rubbed her face on Weiss’s side.

They both ended up falling asleep pretty quickly after their talk and Weiss felt a lot better knowing she didn’t do anything to upset Ruby. She wanted to know more about the girl but she knew she just had wait for Ruby to open up to her. She wasn’t going to force it. She was just glad Ruby was okay at that very moment.

The next morning Blake and Yang woke up and got ready for school. Once they were ready for school Yang walked up to Ruby’s room to see if they were ready to head out. She cracked the door open quietly and peaked inside. She stood in the doorway and smiled.

“What are you so happy about?” Blake asked and walked next to Yang.

Yang put her index finger to her mouth and pointed into Ruby’s room. Ruby curled up into Weiss’s side and Weiss laid spread out on her back. Weiss had a serious expression on her face. Yang quietly laughed.

“What?” Blake whispered.

“They make an interesting pair. Lets go ahead without them.” Yang smiled and turned to the stairs. Blake shrugged it off and followed behind Yang.

About 30minutes later Weiss woke up and reached for her phone. She looked at the time and screamed. Ruby jumped up and was now wide awake.

“Why are you screaming?” Ruby asked in a concerned voice.

“We slept in! We are going to be late for class! Why didn’t your stupid sister or her bookworm wake us up?!” Weiss said as she scrambled out of bed and looked for her backpack.

Ruby watched her and giggled. “Nerd.”

“Don’t call me that!” Weiss huffed.

Ruby jumped over to Weiss and hugged her. “I didn’t mean it as an insult. I love that you love school. You wouldn’t be Weiss if you didn’t care about school!” Ruby said.

“Plus you’re the reason I’m trying so hard in school. I want to impress you.” Ruby whispered.

“What was that Ruby?” Weiss asked

“Nothing! Lets start heading to school.” Ruby said with a smile.

“Ruby you are still in your pajamas” Weiss said.

“Oh! You are right!” Ruby said and dashed to her dresser to get an outfit. Weiss couldn’t help but smile.

 


	12. The Wild Ruckus

**AN: Thank you everyone for all the support! This story is meant to be a slow burn. I want to work more on the relationship between the characters. I want them to feel natural. Eventually things will become romantic but I don’t want to force it. I want to try and avoid a lot of clichés about romances and make it realistic (and awkward at first!). I don’t want to rush through the plot either. I will be starting to add more on Yang and Blake in the future chapters but that won’t slow down the progress with Weiss and Ruby. I know this story might not seem like it should be rated M as of right now but I feel like some of the adult themes are not suitable for younger readers (self harm, future sexual moments, violence, other adult themes). Anyways, enjoy the newest chapter!**

**Chapter 12**

**The Wild Ruckus**

“And that’s how I took on a bear three times my size!” Yang said as she swung a punch at the air with a huge grin on your face. She had just finished telling Blake another one of her crazy adventures she had when she was a kid.

“Yang how could a 5 year old take on a bear.” Blake questioned.

“We are not talking about a regular 5 year old! We are talking about me Blake! Have you seen me fight? I’m a wild fire!” Yang said with a full body laugh.

“How did a 5 year old even find a bear?” Blake raised an eyebrow.

“I was lucky!” Yang quickly replied.

“I still can’t see you be strong enough to take on a bear.” Blake smiled.

“Look what I can do effortlessly” She said and picked up Blake and lifted her in the arm facing her. She had a huge grin on her face.

Blake started to laugh. “Fine I see your point. Can you put me down now?”

Yang placed her back on the ground and they continued their walk to school. They walked side by side. Blake looked over at Yang while they walked and noticed Yang had the same happy grin on her face since they had left the cabin for class.

“You seem to be in a good mood this morning.” Blake stated.

“Of course I am! It’s hard not to be. Ruby made a friend! Her friend has a bit of an attitude but she seems to really care about her. Everything is just falling into place. “ Yang said.

“Yeah I’m glad your sister found a friend. It’s a bit interesting it’s Weiss though. I’ve lived her for awhile and Weiss always seemed cold and distant from everyone. She seemed to think she was better then everyone else. Its probably because of how she was raised.” Blake said.

“Speaking of friends, I’m glad we met and became friends!” Yang said and faced Blake with a smile as they entered the classroom and sat down and got ready for class to begin.

“I’m glad too.” Blake said with a smile. The teacher entered the class and the lecture began. The teacher taught at a fast pace and Blake quickly tried to keep up with note taking and writing down page numbers to read up on later. Yang took a different approach and simply recorded the lecture on her phone so she could review it later. She always got bored about halfway through the lecture and would daydream and miss out on half the material.

At lunch time Blake and Yang walked out to the courtyard and sat in their favorite place under a tree away from everyone else. Blake was always surprised that Yang would always sit with her for some reason. Yang was very social and made friends very easily. A lot of people would approach her and have conversations with her. Part of Blake always got worried that Yang would tell her she was going to eat with her friends Sun or Nora one day but Yang always went with her.

Blake worried she bored Yang because she was so reserved, monotone, and quiet compared to the outgoing blonde girl but Yang never looked at her like she was bored and even when their was silence between them, it never felt awkward or uncomfortable.

It was a nice fall day. There was a slight breeze in the air and the color of the fallen leaves around them was nice and warm. They sat under the tree and quietly ate lunch. Blake wished she could be more interesting compared to some of the other people Yang talked to. She was getting slightly worried that she wasn’t interesting enough. She started to frown.

Yang looked over at Blake and quickly noticed the frown. “What’s up?” Yang asked.

“Nothing.” Blake said.

Yang turned her body and completely faced her. “That frown doesn’t look like nothing. You know you can talk to me Blake.” Yang said.

Blake looked at her for a moment and sighed. “It’s kind of stupid.” Blake said.

“Tell me any way. I won’t judge you.” Yang said.

“I’m just slightly worried that I’m not fun or interesting enough. You talk to so many more interesting and crazy people. I’m quiet and monotone. I like books. We are so different and I’m worried that I’m going to bore you and you’ll start eating and hanging out with other people. Sun, Neptune, and Nora seem so much more outgoing then me.” Blake said with a frown.

“Blake, I’ll admit that I’m extroverted then you and that I talk to other people but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop being your friend. I consider you my best friend and I’m loyal like a lion! I’m not going to stop hanging out with you. Honestly I like how quiet you are. You help level me out since we are so opposite.” Yang said.

“You do help me socialize and talk more. I guess your right. I just worry sometimes.” Blake said.

“Hey that’s a good thing! That means you care about me!” Yang said with a grin.

“Hello ladies!” Nora yelled out as she approached them. Ren followed her quietly from behind.

“Hey Nora! What’s up!” Yang said with a wave.

Blake and Ren quietly nodded at each other.

“Well, I don’t know if you heard, but Ren and I will be throwing a Halloween party this weekend at our place! Everyone is invited. Everyone can dress up. There’s going to be drinks, smoke machines, and music. It’s going to be awesome! You guys should totally come!” Nora started to jump with excitement.

Yang looked over at Blake before she answered. Blake looked at her and smiled. “That sounds like it could be a lot of fun. Yang and I will be there. Thank you for the invite Nora.” Blake said with a smile.

“Awesome! I can’t wait to see what you guys dress up as! I heard your sister is coming! She’s being Weiss with her!” Nora said.

“Nora, this year can we try to not set anything on fire.” Ren said.

Nora looked at Ren and then at Blake and Yang and then back at Ren. She started to laugh nervously. “Don’t worry. He’s kidding. Ren is such a jokester. We will have games though and maybe a few spooky surprises. Nothing will burst into flames (probably). “

Yang was excited. Blake seemed a bit concerned. Ren took a deep breath. Nora kept laughing. “Anywho, I guess we will see you guys later! Enjoy your lunch love birds!” She started some more and waved as she walked away with Ren.

“ _Love birds?”_ Blake thought to herself. She looked over at Yang who was looked at her with a grin.

“You really want to go to a party?” Yang asked.

“It could be fun. I haven’t gone to a party in awhile. Well atleast not a fun party. Adam would take me out to his definition of a party sometimes. It mostly involved murdering people though. It seems like a nice change.” Blake said.

“Speaking of Adam, has he tried talking to you lately?” Yang asked.

“Nothing yet but he should be getting back to the apartment soon. When he notices all my stuff is gone hes going to be pissed and come looking for me.” Blake said.

“Let him. I’ll fight him for what he did to you. Don’t worry Blake. I know you keep saying hes dangerous and strong but I am to.” Yang said.

“I just don’t want you getting hurt because of me. I still haven’t officially broken up with him yet.” Blake said.

“Are you going to?” Yang asked.

“Yes but I have to figure out a way to do it safely.” Blake said with a frown.

“I know its considered a jerk move but you could always just text him and block his number. He’s a jerk so I think a text message break up is allowed.” Yang said.

“I’ll do it later. Let’s head to class. Its about to start again.” Blake said.

“After class want to hit up the bookstore? I’ll treat you to a book.” Yang said.

“I might have to accept that offer.” Blake said as she stood up and started heading to class. Yang followed her.

**POV change- Ruby and Weiss**

Class had just finished for the day. Ruby and Weiss ended up making it to class right before class started. Weiss felt slightly gross because she had to skip her morning shower and was wearing the same clothes she had worn the previous day and that night. She was heading back to the woods with Ruby. Her plan was to head home and immediately head to the shower. She needed a nice long warm shower. She was even considering taking a warm bath and use one of her special bath bombs. She was looking forward to a nice and relaxing night at home.

“So what are your thoughts on today’s classes Ruby? I liked the focus on wilderness survival. The information on how to identify the toxicity of plants was very insightful.” Weiss asked trying to spark a conversation.

“Class was okay. I’m more of a physical learner. I would rather go out in the field and look at some plants in person or fight some monsters!” Ruby said.

“You shouldn’t go looking for trouble though Ruby. Camping out would be nice.” Weiss said.

“I’m not looking for trouble. Even if I was, why is that bad? I would be preventing future attacks on people.” Ruby said.

“Yeah but you would be putting yourself at risk. Monsters are dangerous. They hurt people. They kill people.” Weiss said.

“Speaking of monsters, what are you going to be for the party on Friday?” Ruby said with a smile.

“I hadn’t put much thought into it. What are you going to be?” Weiss asked

“I haven’t really picked yet. I usually do a theme with Yang. We like be our favorite cartoon characters or our favorite scary monster. What do you usually be for Halloween?” Ruby asked. They reached Ruby’s cabin and she opened the door for Weiss and she went inside.

They went into the kitchen and put their bags down. Ruby went to the sink and made Weiss a coffee and got herself a soda.

“I want you to guess what I usually am.” Weiss said with a grin.

Ruby didn’t even take a moment to think. “Some sort of princess?” Ruby asked.

Weiss frown. “Possibly.”

Yang walked in the cabin with Blake. “Yang high five me! I’m a genius!” Ruby said and ran at Yang who quickly high fived her sister. The sound echoed.

“Why are you a genius?” Blake asked.

“Guess what Weiss usually is for Halloween.” Ruby said.

“A princess.” Blake and Yang said at the same time.

“I didn’t have a choice! My parents said being a monster or a cartoon character would be disrespectful to the family image.” Weiss said with a frown.

“Well, are your parents going to visit you this Halloween?” Yang asked.

“No.” Weiss answered.

“Then this year will be different. Be what you want to be Weiss.” Yang said.

“That’s the problem. I don’t know what I want to be. I was never given a choice.” Weiss said.

Ruby sat in silence. She was deep in thought. She was trying to think of the perfect costume for Weiss. It would be a bonus if it could be a theme of outfits for all of them. Yang started naming ideas out loud to Weiss and was denied each time.

“A ghost?” Yang asked.

“That’s boring.” Weiss said.

“You have white hair! It would look cool!” Yang said.

Yang started to play with Weiss’s long hair and she huffed out. “Why do you have to be such a wild thing? Can you have a serious conversation with me for one moment? “ Weiss said and crossed her arms.

Ruby’s silver eyes lite up and she jumped up from her chair. The action surprised Weiss and she almost spilled her coffee. Ruby pointed at Weiss dramatically with a huge grin on her face.

“What Ruby?!” Weiss asked.

“Inside of all of us is a wild thing!” Ruby said.

“What the hell does that mean?” Weiss asked.

Blake approached them and smiled. “It’s a great children’s book. Its called Where the Wild Things Are.”

“I’ve never read it.” Weiss said.

Ruby looked at her and started flinging her arms around. “I’ll be right back!” She dashed upstairs and quickly came back with the book and handed it to Weiss with a smile.

“You should read it tonight! You sort of remind me of Max. If you like the book you could dress up like him!” Ruby said with a smile.

“Does that make you a wild thing?” Yang asked with a grin.

“You know I would be a wild thing Yang.” Ruby stated.

“We could all be wild things and Weiss could be Max!” Yang said.

“I like the idea.” Blake said with a smile.

Yang rested her arm on Blake’s shoulder. “Awesome! Looks like you got some homework tonight Weiss! You must read the book and decide!” Yang said.

“Fine I’ll take a look at it. I should be leaving anyway. I really need a shower.” Weiss said. She got up from the chair and waved goodbye to everyone as she walked out of the cabin.

“I’ll text you after I read the book Ruby.” Weiss called out.

“I know you’ll love it! Be careful walking home! It’s already getting dark outside.” Ruby called back.

Weiss closed the door behind her and started to walk home. “ _I can’t believe I have a friend. People actually want to hang out with me. Maybe I shouldn’t be so mean to Yang. Blake seems smart and nice. I should get to know them more. A few weeks ago at this time I didn’t talk to anyone. It’s such a strange feeling. I feel slightly happy. Its strange though. Part of me still feels empty and alone. I don’t understand why. Is it because I still don’t think I’m good enough? That is what father always said. Its why no one ever liked me before.”_

Weiss opened the gates to her castle and walked across the courtyard to her front door and unlocked it. She walked to her room and placed her bag on the floor by her desk. She placed the book Ruby gave her onto her desk.

She walked into her connected bathroom and started up hot water. “ _I feel like having a bath for once.”_ She thought to herself.

She quickly stripped her clothes off and tossed them into her laundry basket. She walked over to her bathroom cabinet and took out a bathbomb. She walked back to the bathtub and turned off the water once the tub had been filled and tossed the bathbomb in the water.

“Cool.” Weiss said.

The water turned into a neon blue color and was covered in glitter. She entered the water and slowly sunk down until all of her was under the water except her head.

She took a deep sigh. “ _This feels so amazing. I always forgot how relaxing a warm bath was at the end of a day.”_ She closed her eyes and cleared her mind and just enjoyed the silence.

The silence ended when she heard her phone beep from the sink. She sat up and sighed. “ _I guess I’ll get up now.”_ She said. She got out of the tub and grabbed a towel to dry herself. She walked over to her phone and looked at it.

It was a text from her father. She sighed and opened it. She already knew what it would say.

“How are your classes going?” was all it said.

He hadn’t talked to her in over a week and that’s all he had to say. She quickly responded.

“I am getting the top scores in all my courses. I actually befriended my partner as well.” She replied.

“I hope she is of high social standing.” Her father texted back.

Weiss let out a big sigh and decided not to reply to her father anymore. She always hated talking to him, even if it was over text.

She walked back into her room and put on a nightgown and brushed her hair. She walked over to her desk and turned on the desk lamp and started doing the homework for the week.

After she finished her work she looked at the clock. 12:18. “ _I’m not even tired.”_ Weiss thought. She placed her homework and textbooks back in her bag and saw the book Ruby had given her.

“ _I guess I’ll read it before I go to bed.”_ Weiss thought. She grabbed the book and turned off her desk lamp and walked over to her bed and got under the covers. She turned on her reading lamp and put on her reading glasses.

It didn’t take long for Weiss to finish the book. She studied it and made sure she understood what it was about and looked for any hidden meanings. She noted the lack of words compared to pictures. It was a children’s book so I suppose that was fine.

Ruby had said that she reminded her of Max. At first she didn’t understand why. He seemed like a grumpy kid. It offended Weiss at first. One quote changed her opinion of the character though and she looked at him different.

“And Max, the king of all wild things, was lonely and wanted to be where someone loved him best of all.” The book said.

“ _Maybe Ruby was right.”_ She said. She had to admit. The book did have a certain vibe to it that she liked.

She reached for her phone and texted Ruby. “Hey Ruby. I just finished the book you gave me.”

Ruby quickly answered her back. “Did you like it? :)”

“It was alright for a children’s book. I will be Max for the party if you would like to be one of the monsters.” She texted Ruby.

“They are not monsters! They are wild things! Awesome I can’t wait to dress up! I’m not a big fan of parties. Thank you for coming with me Weiss.” Ruby texted to her.

“You owe me later for this!” Weiss said.

“That is fine with me! I’m getting sleepy. I’m going to head to bed Weiss. See you at school tomorrow!” Ruby texted her.

Weiss put her phone on the charger and turned off her lamp and placed her reading glasses on the night time stand.

The next few days started going by fast. Tuesday was a normal school day for Weiss. She went met with Ruby on the way to school. Ruby brought up the book and told Weiss she was happy she liked it. Classes went by quickly and once class was over Weiss went home. She told Ruby she was busy with some research and couldn’t hang out. The rest of the night she spent googling and making phone calls.

Wednesday was very similar to Tuesday. Ruby asked her if she wanted to go shopping for costumes. Weiss told Ruby it would be hard to find the costumes they wanted and they would probably have to make them. Ruby had to admit to Weiss she had no money. Weiss went to her castle and spent the night researching and making calls again.

Thursday afternoon Weiss was extremely proud of herself and what she had done over the past two nights. She was walking home from school with Ruby again.

“Hey do you want to come over to my house today Ruby?” Weiss asked.

“You mean you are done with your research?” Ruby asked.

“Yes I am. Were you bored without me the past few days?” Weiss joked.

“No way! I got to catch up on some missed out gaming time. I beat story mode in a game I bought awhile ago! By the way, Weiss what were you researching? I don’t think we had any projects due in class.” Ruby said.

“That’s a surprise once we reach my house. I’ll show you.” Weiss said.

They walked for awhile. Ruby was thinking in her mind about what it could be. “Can I have a clue?” She asked Weiss.

“Ruby we are less than five minutes away from my house. You can wait.” She answered.

Once they reached the house and entered Weiss’s room, Weiss could see the excitement in Ruby’s body language. She was jumping in place and had a huge smile.

“Okay Ruby close your eyes.” She said and walked into her closet.

“Okay Weiss! My eyes are closed!” Ruby said.

Weiss grabbed 4 hangers from her closet and brought them into her room. “Hold your arms out.” She told Ruby. Ruby followed her order. Weiss placed the 4 hangers in Ruby’s arms.

“Okay you can open your eyes now.” She said.

Ruby opened her eyes and they grew wide and a huge smile appeared on her face and she started to giggle.

“You made us each a costume! These look so good Weiss! How did you do it?” Ruby asked.

“I looked around for a place that sold a onesie. I added the claws, tall, and crown by myself. I thought the 3 wild things should be simple so I just bought hoodies and made slight modifications to them and added on claws, different designs, and features from what I thought you guys would look like if you were wild things.” Weiss said proudly.

Ruby looked at the 3 hoodies and saw one that was black with small amounts of red on it. The beast had an auburn design with black streaks and a small mane. She took off her red hoodie and put on the new one. “It’s awesome!” She said.

“I’m glad you like it. Do you think you can give Yang and Blake the ones I made them?” Weiss asked.

“Of course!” Ruby said with a smile.

“Hey! Can I see you in your Max costume. I bet you look super cute in it!” Ruby giggled.

_“Cute?”_ Weiss thought and her face started to turn red. She tried to shake it off so Ruby wouldn’t notice.

“Nope! You have to wait for the party tomorrow night!” Weiss said.

“But that’s in such a long time!” Ruby frowned.

“You can wait Ruby. I have faith in you.” Weiss said.

“Fine! I’m going to head home now! I want to do all my homework that’s due Monday so I don’t have to do it this weekend! I think some of your good student powers rubbed off one me.” Ruby said.

“Let’s hope so. I’ll see you tomorrow Ruby.” Weiss said.

Ruby ran over and hugged Weiss. The affection surprised Weiss. She wasn’t expecting it and awkwardly hugged Ruby back. The hug only lasted for a moment before Ruby let go and headed downstairs and outside the castle. Weiss watched her head outside the gate from her bedroom window.

 

 


	13. We All Hide Under a Mask

**Chapter 13**

**We All Hide Under a Mask**

            The final class of the day ended on Friday. Blake and Yang left the school and decided to go to the local grocery store to buy some food before heading back home. They knew they probably weren’t going to cook today because of the party later that night but they had been running low on food for awhile. Blake was a vegetarian and she was starting to get tired of having noodles for every meal.

            “Classes went by so slow today. I thought they were never going to end!” Yang said as they walked to the store.

            “If you paid attention in class, time would go by faster.” Blake jokingly said.

            “Who says I don’t pay attention?” Yang asked.

            “The blank expression on your face throughout the class.” Blake said.

            “I was just thinking about night! It’s going to be awesome. Did Ruby show you the costumes Weiss made all of us? They are so cute!” Yang said.

            “Yeah. I can’t believe she handmade them. It must have taken her a lot of time. She even personalized each of them.” Blake said.

            They reached the store and walked inside. Yang grabbed a basket. “Any food requests?” Yang asked.

            “I think we are almost out of coffee and green tea. I’m going to see if there’s anything good to make sandwiches with.” Blake said.

            “I’m going to grab some soup! I think Ruby mentioned we were almost out of soda.” Yang said.

            They walked through the store and quickly grabbed all the food they needed and went to check out. Yang took out her wallet from her pocket to pay and sighed when she saw the total amount.

            “Is this too expensive?” Blake asked.

            “I’m just starting to run low on cash but its alright.” Yang said.

            “How do you have money anyways? You and Ruby don’t have a job. Does your father send you money?” Blake asked.

            “Our father sends us checks once in awhile but they are never a lot of money. He doesn’t make much money for himself. He lives with our uncle Qrow. Before we moved I did a bunch of odd jobs around town for quick cash. I saved it up for a few years. It’s a good thing I did.” Yang told her.

            “How do you afford the cabin? Yang if your low on money I could help you.” Blake said.

            “Don’t worry Blake. The cabin wasn’t in the greatest condition and whoever owned it before us heavily discounted it. If I ever do need help I will tell you.” Yang said.

            “Fine. If you promise.” Blake said.

            “As long as you promise you come to me whenever you need anything. I’m here for you.” Yang said.

            “I feel like you have done so much for me and I have done nothing for you.” Blake said with a sigh.

            They left the store and started walking back to the cabin.

            “Don’t say that! It is not true. You have helped me more then you could know. I am happy when I am with you. Plus Ruby really likes you and I feel like you slightly understand Ruby’s condition. You are open minded and unique and I love it.” Yang said with a smile.

            They reached the cabin and Blake unlocked the door and opened it for Yang. She was carrying most of the groceries. She placed them all on the kitchen counter and Blake helped unbag them and put them away.

            “Hey Blake. Do you drink?” Yang asked.

            Blake looked at her confused for a moment before realizing what Yang meant. “Not very often but sometimes I do. After a hard day I used to pour myself a glass of red wine and lay in bed with a book. Why?” Blake asked.

            “I’m just going to guess that there will be alcohol at the party knowing Nora. I might drink alittle but I have a decent tolerance. I’m not planning on going nuts. I just wanted to make sure you would be comfortable.” Yang told her.

            “Well thank you for asking me ahead of time.” Blake said with a smile.

            The door to the cabin opened and Ruby skipped inside. Weiss followed behind her. “Hello Yang! Blake!” Ruby cheered.

            “Hey guys! We just got back from the store. We restocked on caffeine, snacks, and food!” Yang said with a smile.

            Weiss sat down at the kitchen table. “Do you think I could have a coffee now?” Weiss asked.

            “Sure Weiss. I’ll make us both a cup.” Blake said.

            Yang sat down next to Weiss and gave her a friendly smile. “I saw the costumes you made us all. They look amazing! I can tell you spent a lot of time making them.” Yang said.

            “It was nothing, really.” Weiss stated.

            “Don’t be so modest Weiss. They look perfect.” Blake said as she handed Weiss a mug.

            “I can’t wait to see you in your costume!” Ruby said.

            “Thank you guys. You guys are sweet.” Weiss said with a slight smile.

            “Are you starting to warm up to us now?” Yang joked.

            “Don’t push it.” Weiss said.

            “Hey Weiss, Ruby I was thinking we could all watch a scary movie or something this weekend. Maybe tomorrow night?” Yang said.

            “That sounds fun Yang!” Ruby said and hugged Yang.

            “I know we have been busy with school and everything but I thought we could all hang out this weekend.” Yang said.

            “I suppose that could be nice.” Weiss said.

            “That’s the spirit!” Yang said with a huge smile.

            “It’s almost time to start heading to Nora and Ren’s house. We should change into the costumes.” Blake said.

            Ruby, Blake, and Yang grabbed their hoodie and put it over their shirt. Yang, Blake, and Ruby each put on a pair of black jeans. They all looked at each other and smiled.

            Yang’s hoodie was a golden yellow with black fading onto the edges. The arms of the hoodie were sown together with a pair of black gloves that had gold claws. Her hoodie had a darker yellow fur lining like looked like a mane.

            Blake’s hoodie was similar to Yang with color schemes but black was her main color. The hoodie was stripped with yellow lines and her hood had black pointed ears.

            Ruby had a black hoodie with red fading on the edges. The outside was mostly black but the inside of the hood was visibly red. The hood had a smaller mane compared to Yang’s and was similar to her hair in color. She also had gloves on her sleeve but the claws were red.

            They all looked at Weiss who had not changed yet. She was slightly nervous about changing into a onesie. “Do you mind if I change in your bathroom. I’ll get hot if I wear my clothes underneath the onesie.” Weiss said.

            “Yeah that’s fine.” Ruby said.

            Weiss walked into the bathroom and came out a few minutes later. Ruby was the first to see her. She gasp and had a huge smile on her face. Weiss was wearing a white onesie that was slightly gray in color. She had a long tail behind her and wore white fingerless gloves. She had her hood on and the top of it had white pointed wolf ears. A crown lay on top of her head. She had a frown on her face.

            “Weiss you look so cute!” Ruby said and ran up to Weiss and gave her a hug. Weiss tensed up and didn’t hug back. She felt slightly embarrassed about the outfit she was wearing.  Ruby noticed she tensed up.

            “Don’t be nervous Weiss! You look great.” Ruby said.

            “I’m not nervous! I just feel weird!” Weiss said.

            “I think it looks good. You really do look like a white haired Max.” Blake said.

            “You’re even sassy like him!” Yang joked.

            “Come on guys! Lets go to the party! I don’t want to be late!” Ruby said as she grabbed Weiss’s hand and started dragging her to the door.

            “Alright Ruby! Lets go!” Yang said and Blake and her followed them outside and locked the door behind them.

            They all reached the street that Ren and Nora lived on. “What was their address again?” Yang asked.

            “It’s probably that house.” Blake stated and pointed at a house. The house was almost vibrating from the loud music playing and different colored lights shined through the windows and brightened up the dark night. The front yard was covered in fake gravestones, skeletons, and fake spider webs.

            They walked up to the house and Ruby went up the door and was about to knock on it when the door opened before Ruby had a chance to touch it. They were greeted by a pink power ranger.

            “Hey guys! You made it! I love your theme! We did theme outfits as well!” Nora said and laughed. Ren stood behind her and waved at them all. He was dressed as the green power ranger.

            “I’m the pink power ranger, Ren is the green power ranger as you can tell, Jaune is the yellow power ranger, and Pyrrha is the red power ranger, since she is lowkey our leader.” Nora said.

            “Hey!” Jaune said in the background.

            “You know I’m joking Jaune.” Nora said and smiled.

            He sighed. “Well I mean, youre not completely wrong.”

            “Come on in guys! Get ready to party!” Nora said and gestured for them to walk into the house. The house was filled with people in different costumes from school. It was dark but the room was brightened by a blacklight. There was a fog machine and loud music playing. Many people were dancing. Many people looked drunk. Other people were just chatting.

            “Hey Blake follow me! I want you to say hi to some of my friends over there.” Yang said and dragged Blake with her.

            They approached a group of boys. “Hey guys! This is my friend Blake! Blake with is Sun, Scarlet, and Sage.”

            “Hey Blake. Yang has talked about you at school a bunch of times. You seem pretty cool. I like the costume.” Scarlet said.

            “Yeah its super cute on you!” Sun said and winked.

            Blake ignored the wink. “Thanks guys. I’m glad Yang has told you good things about me.” Blake said with a smile.

            “Hey Blake. I’m going to go get a drink. Do you want one?” Yang asked.

            “Sure. Thanks.” Blake said and Yang walked away.

            “Sun we are going to go look for Neptune and make sure he isn’t getting into any trouble. We’ll see you.” Scarlet said and walked away with Sage.

            “Alright guys!” Sun said.

            Sun and Blake took there awkwardly. “ _Yang where are you? Please hurry up.”_ Blake thought.

            “So….I heard you like books. I’m more of a movie person myself. Books seem cool too though.” Sun said with a smile.

            “I never think movies can live up to the book. There is just so much more freedom in writing.” Blake said.

            “I like your eyes. Yellow is a super cool color. It’s probably one of my favorites.” Sun said.

            “I could imagine that from a name like Sun. I’m more into the dark colors.” Blake said.

            “Dark and mysterious is sexy.” Sun said with a grin.

            Blake frowned.

            “Wait I didn’t mean that in a weird way! I just think you are super hot. My friend Neptune usually steals all the girls from me! Ummm do you maybe want to go see a movie or something?” Sun said awkwardly.

            Thankfully Yang returned. “Hey guys where did Scarlet and Sage run off to?” Yang asked.

            “Oh hey Yang. We were actually in the middle of an important conversation” Sun said.

            “No we weren’t and I am not interested sorry.” Blake said coldly and grabbed the drink from Yang. She started to drink it.

            Sun looked at her with a look of disappointed. “I’m going to go find the gang. Knowing Neptune, he’s probably somewhere trying to get a girl to go home with him. I’ll talk to you guys later.” He said and started walking away. He stopped and looked back at Blake.

            “Hey I know I’m an idiot. I’m just bad at talking to girls that seem cool. Yang told us how awesome you are and when I saw you, I just got nervous. My offer is always open if you ever want to go. It doesn’t have to be a date. I just want to get to know you.” Sun said.

            “You said go look for your friends. Thank you for being honest though Sun. I just have bigger things on my mind right now.” Blake said.

            Sun disappeared in the crowd of people and Yang looked at her and raised at eyebrow. “What was that about?” She asked Blake.

            “Nothing. Lets just enjoy the party.” Blake said.

            “Did he say anything offensive to you? I know Sun can be over the top some times.” Yang said.

            “No. He just flirted with me.” Blake said.

            “Oh? Are you interested?” Yang asked.

            “No I am not. I politely denied his requests. I was very up front with him. He seems like an okay guy. He just isn’t my type. Besides, technically I haven’t broken up with Adam officially. I should get on that. I just don’t think I’m ready for a relationship now. Adam really damaged me. I feel like I can’t be loved.” Blake said.

            “Hey don’t say that! That Isn’t true. Lets not think about that bastard right now. Lets have some fun, alright? Want to dance?” Yang said with a smile.

            Blake smiled. “ _She is so kind.”_ Blake thought.

            She followed Yang to the dance floor. “Yeah lets have a good time tonight. We earned it.”

**POV change Ruby and Weiss**

            Ruby sat next to Weiss in amazement. Weiss had just finished her fourth vodka shot. “Hey Weiss.” Ruby said.

            “What is it?” Weiss asked. Her pale face had become slightly reddened at the cheeks.

            “You okay there? You are drinking a lot.” Ruby said.

            “I’m fine! I just don’t want to seem so uptight tonight.” Weiss said.

            “Well, I don’t think your uptight. Let’s calm down with the drinking. I’m not really good with parties. I just want to cling to the wall and talk to you if I am going to be honest.” Ruby said.

            “But I want to dance with you!” Weiss said and hugged Ruby’s side. The action surprised Ruby. She wasn’t to Weiss doing this. “I bet you are a good dancer!”

            “I actually don’t know how to dance.” Ruby said.

            Weiss gasped dramatically. “Then I have to teach you! It would be fun!” Weiss said and squeezed Ruby affectionately.

            “Hey ladies. I hope I’m not interrupting anything. I just saw you two hoties over here all alone and I couldn’t help myself. The names Neptune. What’s your name snow angel?” Neptune asked.

            “First off, back off. I’m not interested in some drunk douche. Second, don’t call me snow angel ever again. My names Weiss.” Weiss said.

            “That’s a lovely name. I actually thought your name was Cinderella because girl, that dress will be coming off by midnight.” Neptune said.

            “But Weiss isn’t wearing a dress…” Ruby stated.

            Neptune ignored Ruby and sat next to Weiss. “So Weiss. Are you seeing anyone.” Neptune asked.

            “I’m here with my friend Ruby.” Weiss said. She took another vodka shot.

            “I meant are you dating anyone.” Neptune said.

            “I’m not interested in a fuckboy like you. Back off.” Neptune said.

            “Why do you have to be with that?” Here like get you another drink.” Neptune said and reached for a bottle of wine.

            Ruby was getting more annoyed each time he spoke. She didn’t want to burst out in front of Weiss though and she didn’t want her emotions to control her so much that she transformed.

            Suddenly the bottle was wine was ripped out of his hand. “The lady said she was interested. Can’t you tell when you should leave someone alone.” The man said.

            He was nicely dressed in a black suit. He had red wavy hair that was pulled back and horns coming out of his head. He wore a white mask that covered his eyes.

            “Hey man! Leave me alone!” Neptune said and stood up to face the man. The man towered over him in height.

            “These young ladies do not feel comfortable with your advances. I believe you should go now before something might happen to you.” The man said calmly.

            “What the fuck ever! These bitches are not worth the trouble!” Neptune said and stormed off.

            The man looked over at Ruby and Weiss. “Thank you for helping us. I’m not really good with situations like that.” Ruby said with a smile.

            The man smiled at Ruby warmly. “No trouble really. I just don’t like seeing a man treating fine ladies badly. It’s hard to find a real gentleman in todays society.” The man said.

            “You can say that again!” Weiss said and growled.

            “Are you alright Miss?” The man asked.

            “I’m fine. I just need another drink.” Weiss said.

            “I really think you should slow down on the drinking Weiss.” Ruby said.

            “If you must drink, here have this.” The man said and handed Weiss a plate of food. “It wouldn’t be good to drink so much on an empty stomach.” He said.

            “What’s your name?” Ruby asked.

            “My name isn’t important. “ He said. Ruby looked at him confused. He turned and started to walk away.

            “You ladies enjoy the party. Be careful though. I don’t want to see you guys getting in trouble. There’s some real crazy and dangerous people out there. Some people are real animals. Keep your eyes open. They could be anywhere.” He said and walked over. An evil grin was on his face.

            “That was nice of him.” Weiss slurred.

            “I could have handled Neptune.” Ruby huffed. She was slightly jealous about how smoothly the stranger had handled the situation.

            “So…..Ruby.” Weiss said and stared at Ruby.

            “What is it Weiss?” Ruby asked.

            “Do you ever have guys bother you like that? You have to be popular.” Weiss asked.

            “Oh. Umm not really. I don’t really much any experience in the dating department. Or flirting. Or anything really. I had a lot of guy friends growing up but never a boyfriend or anything. I was just always one of the bros. It’s kind of like my friendship with Jaune.” Ruby said.

            “Lucky! My parents always took me to other wealthy and well known family’s homes to meet their son and I hated it. I had to act polite and nice and they always tried to kiss me and stuff. I hated it!” Weiss slurred.

            “Oh, I’m sorry Weiss. Do you want to date?” Ruby asked.

            “Why would I want to date anyone when I have you!” Weiss said and her face reddened.

            Ruby turned red and laughed. “The vodka is starting to affect you Weiss. I’m going to go get you some water. I’ll be right back. Stay here.” Ruby said and stood up.

            Weiss stood up with her and grabbed her. “Oh please don’t go! I’ll eat you up, I love you so!” Weiss said and bit Ruby’s neck and hugged her.

            Ruby shivered and now her whole face was red. “Okay. I’ll stay. No more drinks for you though.” Ruby hugged her back.

            “Fine! You have to dance with me though!” Weiss said.

            “But I don’t know how to dance!” Ruby said.

            “Then I’ll teach you, Dolt.” Weiss said and pulled Ruby onto the dance floor. A fast paced song was playing and the dancers around them were grinding against each other. Ruby got nervous.

Weiss saw Ruby’s expression. “Don’t worry. I will not be degrading us to dance like these sex crazed children. We will be waltzing.” Weiss said.

Ruby relaxed. “Is this even a song to waltz to?” Ruby asked.

“Not really but fuck it. Let’s do it.” Weiss said. She put one hand on Ruby’s waist and the other held Ruby’s hand.

“Rest one arm on my shoulder and look at our feet. Mirror my movements. The song has a 1-2-3 beat. I will be leading us.” She started moving her feet slowly and Ruby attempted to copy her. Ruby ended up stepping on one of Weiss’s feet and stumbling. Weiss held on to her when she tripped. Ruby’s head fell on her shoulder.

“You are clumsy.” Weiss said.

Ruby laughed awkwardly. “Yeah I know. Sorry.”

“Let’s try again.” Weiss said.

They kept dancing and failing. Partly due to Weiss’s drunken state and Ruby’s inexperience with dancing. It didn’t matter though. They both were laughing and having fun. That was the point of coming to the party.

**POV change Blake and Yang**

Yang looked over on the dance floor to see Ruby and Weiss attempting to waltz to the loud techno music playing. She smiled and laughed to herself. She was glad her sister was enjoying herself. Usually when she came to parties Ruby would be a wallflower or cling to Yang’s side.

Blake saw what Yang was looking at and smiled. “It looks like those two are having fun.” Blake said.

“Yeah I’m glad. Are you having a good time?” Yang asked.

“I actually am. I didn’t know if I was but this is really nice. Thank you Yang.” Blake said.

“I’m just glad I have such a good dance partner.” Yang said and winked.

They were dancing but not grinding against each other. They were just following the beat to the music and letting them bodies move as they saw fit. Yang was leading because of her height but she knew what she was doing and Blake felt comfortable following her.

They continued to dance. They had given up trying to have a conversation with each other when the music had become louder and they could barely hear each other scream a few inches away from the others face.

Their dance was interrupted when Yang accidentally bumped into a girl. She turned around to make sure the girl was okay. She had fallen and Yang helped her to her feet. “Sorry.” Yang yelled at the girl.

Half of the girls hair was pink and the other half was brown. The girl’s face was completely covered with a mask. The mask was split in half. One side had a happy expression and the other side had a sad expression. The girl was extrememly short compared to Yang in size. Probably the smaller girl she had seen that was her age. The girl was wearing a formal outfit and her breasts were slightly exposed.

The girl nodded to imply that she accepted the apology and walked away.

“Be careful where you are going.” Blake said.

“I know! It’s just starting to get really crowded here!” Yang said.

They looked over that the other dancers and saw Nora, who was extremely drunk, on stage next to the DJ cheering. She jumped from the stage onto the crowd of people and began to crowd surf.

“Nora is crazy! Lets join them!” Yang said and pulled Blake into the crowd of people. Everyone was cheering and screaming.

After a few songs they managed to escape the crowd and find a less quiet part of the house. They each grabbed a drink. Yang was feeling hyper from the rush they had gotten from dancing in the crowd.

“I thought you were going to fight someone.” Blake said.

Yang laughed. “Nah. That wasn’t a mosh pit. Plus we know these people. I wouldn’t want to say sorry to them later at school. That would be awkward.” Yang said.

The party started to die down after another hour and people were starting to leave. Yang and Blake decided they should start heading back to the cabin soon. They met up with Nora and Ren to tell them about how awesome the party was. Nora had so much to drink that she was in another reality completely. Ren told them to come visit whenever they wanted before he went to take Nora upstairs and put her in bed.

Blake and Yang found Ruby and Weiss in one of the more quiet rooms of the party on a couch. Ruby was on her phone and Weiss ended up falling asleep. She had her head on Ruby’s lap. Ruby saw them come in the room and waved.

“Looks like you guys had fun.” Yang said with a smirk.

“Yeah It was fun. I think Weiss had a bit too much to drink though. She fell asleep about 30 minutes ago. She’s out cold.” Ruby said with a smile.

“Lets head back to the cabin then.” Yang said and carefully picked up Weiss to not wake her on. She put Weiss on her back and made her she was not going to fall off.

They left the house and walked home. When they arrived home Yang turned to Ruby. “Should I put her in your room?” Yang asked.

“That is fine. Just put her in the bed. I think I have a spare pair of PJ’s she can wear. I’ll change her into them. She will be to hot sleeping in that onesie.” Ruby said. Yang carried Weiss upstairs and into Ruby’s room. Ruby followed her.

Blake took off the hoodie and sat down on the couch. The party was fun but she was glad she was back here where she could relax. She was never a fan of huge crowds. She was glad Yang had a good time though.

She took out her phone to look at the time. Her heart started racing when she saw what was on the screen. 22 new texts from Adam. She opened the messages. They all were pretty much the same. “Where are you bitch?” “You took all your things?” “You think you can run away. You can’t” “I’ll find you.” “You can’t survive without me.”

But her heart felt like it was going to explode when she saw the final two messages. They were the most recent.

“Having fun at the party with that blonde slut?” and then it was followed by an image of them dancing at the party. The image was close up.

Blake felt her body start shaking. “ _No. Hes back. He was at the party. He was right next to us.” Blake thought._

Blake started to breath hard and felt a panic attack coming. She got up and made sure all the doors and windows in the house were locked and all the window blinds were down.

She curled into a ball on the couch and started to slow down her breathing and rapid heart rate.

**POV Yang**

Yang went to the bathroom to take a quick shower. She was sweaty from the party and needed a bath. She took off her pants and hoodie and shirt and turned on the hot water. She placed her clothes on the bathroom counter and was about to go shower when she noticed a piece of paper had fallen from her hoodie pocket when she had taken it off. She picked it up to read it.

The handwriting was neat and steady but the message made Yang shiver.

“ **If you want to help Blake meet me tomorrow at 3:00pm at the following address, alone.”** The word alone was underlined.

 

 


	14. Headache

**AN: This chapter contains a scene with self harm. I want to make it clear that I am not romanticizing self harm in any way. It is serious problem that people face.**

**Chapter 14**

**Headache**

            Yang got into her room and put on a pair of running shorts and a tank top to sleep in. The party was fun and she was happy that everyone enjoyed it. “ _I really like the little group we made here.”_ She thought to herself as she sunk under her covers in her bed.

            She turned and looked at the clock in her room. It was 2:30am but she still wasn’t very tired. The strange letter she found was making her wonder. Who sent it? Are they friendly? Should she even go?

            Her thoughts were interrupted by a light knock at her door. “Come in!” She called out.

            The door slowly opened and Blake slowly walked into the room before closing the door behind her. Her head hung low and looked at the ground. Her body was shaking.

            “Blake what’s wrong?” Yang said and jumped out of bed to hug Blake.

            Blake went limp in Yang’s arms. Her body still shaking. Her head was buried in Yang’s shoulder. Yang could feel her shoulder getting wet from tears. She carefully walked them back to her bed and laid her on her side. Blake clung onto her and laid down still in Yang’s arms.

            They stayed for that for a long time. Blake couldn’t speak and Yang just wanted to comfort her. She knew Blake would tell her what was wrong once she calmed down.

            Yang used her semblance to warm Blake up. She knew from experience whenever Ruby was upset using her semblance seemed to help her calm down.

            After awhile Blake stopped crying and sat up on the bed. She still wouldn’t look at Yang. Yang sat up with her and placed one hand on Blake’s back and gently rubbed her. Blake began to quietly purr. “ _I’m going to have to make a note of this.”_ Yang thought to herself.

            Blake got her phone out of her pocket and handed it to Yang without saying a word. Yang held the phone and the screen lit up. It was on Blake’s messages and she saw that the most recent person to text her was Adam. Her heart sank. She touched his contact name and saw the long amount of texts he had sent that night. She saw the picture of the two of them dancing and understood how serious the situation was.

            She placed her hand on Blake’s cheek and gently moved her face so that she could look Blake in the eyes. Blake’s golden eyes looked like they were about to break.

            “Blake I won’t let him hurt you. Don’t cry. I’m here.” Yang said.

            “I’m scared Yang. I don’t want him in my life. I don’t want him to hurt you.” Blake said and started to cry again. She grabbed onto Yang and held her tight. Yang wrapped her arms around her in a protective manner.

            “I won’t let him do anything. Lets not think about him right now. You have had a long day. Let’s get some sleep and then come up with a game plan in the morning.” Yang said.

            “Okay… That sounds good.” Blake said and tried to stand up to go to her bedroom. Yang didn’t let her go.

            “Where do you think you’re going? I’m not letting you sleep alone tonight! My beds big enough for two. I told you, you could come to me whenever you needed something. Stay here tonight.” Yang said.

            They both got under the covers and Yang continued to wrap her arms around Blake. Blake relaxed. She felt safe. Yang started to pet Blake’s head between her cat ears. Blake began to purr. Yang continued to pet her until Blake fell asleep.

            **POV Weiss**

_“Where am I?”_ _Weiss said. She got up off the snow covered ground and looked around her. She was in the middle of the woods and she had no idea where she was. Behind her was a high cliff and she was below it._

_“Did I fall? I don’t remember.” Weiss said. She looked at her body. She had some bruises that started to form and some fresh cuts on her pale skin. They were recent. “I don’t remember getting hurt. These wounds look like claw marks. Nothing hurts though. I don’t even feel cold but I’m in the middle of a snow storm.” Weiss said. This whole situation seemed odd. The rational side of her knew this couldn’t be real but part of her said it was._

_In the distance she could her the howl of a wolf. It sounded different, like the animal was in pain and calling for help. “Did the pack turn on one of their own?” Weiss thought._

_The storm started to pick up and she decided to start walking further away from the cliff. “I feel like I should be looking for something. I need to find out where I am so I can get back to my house or Ruby’s.” Weiss thought. She left her body slowing down the further she walked. It was most likely due to her wounds. She still couldn’t feel the pain._

_She started feeling lightheaded and her legs stopped working. She fell over onto the snowy ground. “What am I doing?” Weiss thought. Everything started going back._

_The storm started to pick up and she heard movement. She moved her head up to look at whatever was making the noise. Her eyes went wide._

_A large wolf stood sat in front of her. The wolf had to be at least three times her size. It had a pure white coat and grey glowing eyes that just stared right into her. Weiss felt her body start to stand up and move toward the wolf._

_The wolf howled and then started to glow white. It’s body started to change and suddenly a woman stood before her. She wore a long white hooded cloak. The wind around them started to blow and the hood fell off the woman’s face, reveling a young woman with black hair and red tips, a pale face with grey eyes._

_The woman smiled and reached her hand out to Weiss. Weiss reached for her hand. “Ruby?” Weiss asked._

_Suddenly everything went black and the woman disappeared. The howl of pain she heard earlier was closer now. She saw a body in the distance and ran towards it. She recognized the hooded the body was wearing. It was Ruby. She was hurt. Then she heard laughing. A large dark figure appeared with a sword._

_He started walking toward Weiss. His laugh becoming for maniacal and crazy the closer he got._

Weiss screamed and sat up. She looked around her. She was in Ruby’s bedroom. She was laying in Ruby’s bed. Ruby jumped up and turned to Weiss. “What’s wrong?” Ruby asked in a concerned tone of voice.

“Just a bad dream. Sorry I woke you up.” Weiss said and laid back down.

“It’s fine. It’s almost noon anyways. Did you want to talk about it?” Ruby asked.

“No that’s fine. Wait…” Weiss said and looked down at her body. She was wearing something different. She wasn’t in her onesie. She was in a tank top and a pair of shorts that were covered in a rose design.

“What happened last night? I know I drank alittle bit but….. Oh my God don’t tell me we had….”Weiss said. Weiss’s face turned bright head. Her heart started to race.

“Had what?” Ruby asked. She was completely clueless.

“Had….ummm you know!” Weiss could barely speak.

Ruby stared at her for a moment trying to figure out what the heck Weiss was implying. Then it clicked in her mind. “Oh you mean sex? You’re asking if we had sex when you got wasted at the party?” Ruby asked.

“Don’t say something so lewd you Dolt!” Weiss said. Her face was completely red.

Ruby smiled and started to laugh. “No we didn’t. I haven’t even kissed anyone, let alone have sex. At the party we just drank and talked for awhile. Then some guy hit on you and you got mad. You started telling me how awesome I was and then you wanted to dance but I didn’t know how. Then you attempted to teach me how to waltz. We sort of failed at it but it was fun! Then we went somewhere quiet and you started hugging me a lot and telling me I was your favorite person in the world and then you started to cry. I tried to calm you down and then you passed out on my lap. Yang and Blake found us and Yang carried you home and up to my bedroom. I took your onesie off and put you in a pair of my pjs so you wouldn’t be hot when you slept. Then you cuddled with me in bed and fell asleep. Then you screamed in my ear and woke me up.” Ruby told her.

Weiss quickly relaxed. She was embarrassed about what she told Ruby last night. It was true though. “That’s embarrassing…. Sorry you had to take care of me.” Weiss said.

“It’s fine! Why did you drink so much anyways?” Ruby asked.

Weiss sighed. “I wanted to make sure I was fun at the party. I know I can be a bit uptight sometimes.” Weiss admitted.

“You didn’t have to get drunk for me to think you are fun! I think my favorite part of when we danced together! Remember that next time we decide to be social.” Ruby said with a smile.

“Alright…” Weiss said. Then she realized something and her eyes went wide.

“Wait a second! I wasn’t wearing in clothes under my onesie, just my underwear and bra!” Weiss said.

“Yeah I noticed. You wear very expensive clothes Weiss, Geez.” Ruby said.

“You dolt!” Weiss huffed.

Ruby laughed and gave her a hug. “Hey I’m going to go take a shower. You can stay in bed and sleep more if you want. I’ll make you some coffee when I get out. You probably feel hungover from last night.” Ruby said and got up out of bed.

“Thank you.” Weiss said with a smile. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep for a few more minutes.

**POV Ruby**

Ruby walked into the bathroom with a change of clothes. She locked the bathroom behind her and started the water. She took of her pjs and hopped into the shower once the water had warmed up.

“ _Last night was fun. It’s kind of hilarious that Weiss thought we did something.”_ Ruby thought to herself.

“ _Well I’m glad you had a good time. Look at you! You finally made a friend for once! You know she doesn’t really like you right? She feels bad for you. Your not in close to the same level she is in society.” The wolf man said to her._

_“_ Shut up! You are just trying to control me.” Ruby said.

_“Stupid bitch. I do control you. I can fuck you up at any moment that pleases me. Speaking of which, how goes the search to find out who I am? I see you have done absolutely nothing! I’m starting to get bored! I might have to make things more interesting.”_ The wolf man said with a snarl.

“I’ve been busy! I was going to start once we got a long weekend or a break from school.” Ruby said.

_“Lies! You have been to busy hanging out with ice princess. You even used the wolf pup to find out more about her. That’s evil Ruby. What if she were to find out you were that pup? What if she found out you are a freak? A monster? You would be dropped in a heart beat.” The wolf man laughed._

“That’s not true! Weiss wouldn’t do that! Weiss actually likes me.” Ruby said. Her voice was starting to shake.

“ _Just start doing nothing or else I’ll have to jump in and make things more fun myself.”_ The wolf man said.

“You said you wouldn’t take over my body.” Ruby said.

_“What can I say, I break promises. Its nothing personal. I’m just a horrible person.”_ The wolf man said.

The wolf man inside of Ruby’s head went quiet and Ruby was alone again with her thoughts. “He’s right. I need to find out who he is. I can’t keep living like this.” Ruby thought to herself.

She turned off the water and got out of the shower and started putting on her clothes. “ _Weiss is smart. She could probably help me find out more about him and about me. I don’t know how she will react if I tell her who I am.”_ Ruby thought as she opened the bathroom door and headed to the kitchen. She made a cup of coffee and walked up stairs back to her room.

            **POV Blake**

            Blake sat in the living room quietly. She tried reading some of the book Yang had bought her but she couldn’t think. Her mind just kept going to the texts from last night, to Adam, and toward the danger she knew she was putting everyone in. Yang kept telling her that she was strong and tough but Blake knew how dangerous Adam was. No one had ever stopped Adam. Anyone who tried was killed, unless he had some personal sick pleasure from watching them suffer. She knew if he caught Ruby, Weiss, or Yang, they would be put through hell and it would be all her fault.

            “ _I should just run away. It would keep them all safe. If Adam found me he would beat me up and lock me up for months but then everything would go back to normal. I would have my shitty life back.”_ Blake thought.

Blake felt sick. She got up and went to the bathroom. Yang was in the kitchen making them breakfast.

She went to the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She turned on the sink and splashed some water in her face. “ _If I run away, they will be safe. I won’t ever see them again though. I really like them. I’ll really miss Ruby and Weiss. I’ll miss Yang the most. She was so kind and accepting of me. She was the first person I ever opened up to. She always cheered me up and made me smile. I really admire how positive she is even though her life has been horrible. She always thinks about other people and wants to protect and help everyone. She has such a firey and bright personality that I always admired. I guess it’s because I’m so dark and realistic. Why am I even fighting Adam? I know he will win in the end. He always does.”_ Blake frowned and opened a drawer. She pulled out a razer blade she had kept hidden.

She placed the blade under the hot water before sliding it against her arm. She repeated the motion a couple of time. Each time she increased the speed and became less steady and calm.

“ _I don’t want to leave Yang behind. I care about her. I love her….”_ Blake started to cry.

“ _That’s why I have to leave. Its to keep her safe. I hate my life. I just want to die. I’m tired of fighting him. Why didn’t he kill me? I want to die.”_ Blake cut her wrist and started crying more.

Blake jumped when she heard a knock on the bathroom door. She remained silent. She hoped that the person knocking would come back later. “Blake It’s me. Please let me in.” Yang said calmly.

Blake remained silent.

“Blake if you don’t unlock this door I’m going to break it open.” Yang said calmly again.

Blake sighed and walked to the door and unlocked it. She turned around and sat on the bathroom floor. She didn’t want Yang to see her like this.

Yang entered the bathroom and closed the door and locked it behind her. She had a firstaid kit and a washcloth in her hand. She put them down and sat next to Blake. They sat in silence for a moment before Yang reached over to her slowly and brought her into a hug.

Yang held her until Blake calmed down. Once she was calm enough Yang got up and helped Blake up. She started warm water running on put Blake’s arm under the water to clean it. While her arm was under the water Yang got the wash cloth and poured some hydrogen peroxide on it. “This is going to sting.” Yang said.

She placed the cloth on Blake’s arm and Blake flinched. “Squeeze my hand if it hurts.” Yang told her. Blake did. Once the wound was cleaned Yang put cream on it and bandaged it.

Blake looked up at Yang. Yang remained quiet and gentle during the whole event. She knew how to clean it and blood didn’t seem to bother her. “ _Has she or Ruby done this?”_ Blake wondered.

Yang looked at Blake with a serious expression and brought her into another tight hug. She rested her head on top of Blake’s. “I’m sorry you felt the need to do this. I know it must be hard. Please know I’m here for you Blake. I want to help you any way I can. Please don’t shut me out.” Yang said.

“I’m sorry.” Blake said.

“Are you feeling up to breakfast?” Yang asked.

“Yeah. Thank you.” Blake said. Yang handed Blake one of her hoodies to wear. They both headed downstairs.

When they got downstairs they found Ruby and Weiss in the living room. Ruby was sitting on the ground with a controller in her hand. She was playing one of her first person shooter games.

“I don’t understand the point of this game? You just run around and shoot zombies?” Weiss asked.

“There isn’t really a plot. You just run around and survive as long as you can. Its about teamwork and having the most badass weapons.” Ruby said.

“You are playing alone though.” Weiss stated.

“People alone are rude.” Ruby said.

“Trying to beat my high school sis? Good luck.” Yang teased.

“I’ll defeat you some day!” Ruby called out.

Yang and Blake sat in the kitchen and ate breakfast together in silence. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. Nothing needed to be sad. Blake had a lot on her mind. She knew one thing for certain though. She didn’t want to leave this house. She didn’t want to leave Yang. She couldn’t live with herself if Yang got hurt because of her though.

Blake stood up when she finished her pancakes. “Want to go for a walk Yang?” She asked.

“Yeah sure! Let me grab another hoodie.” Yang said with a smile. Yang went upstairs and grabbed a hoodie. When she came back downstairs they both headed outside.

**POV Ruby and Weiss**

Weiss sat on the couch in the living room reading a book she had found on one of the bookshelves in the cabin. Ruby sat on the floor in front of her. She was sitting in front of the tv with a controller in her hand trying to beat Yang’s record of survival rounds in the game.

“The previous owners of this house had excellent taste in literature. Every book I see is a masterpiece. There are tons of old books that look very rare and unique as well. This one I’m reading now was handwritten and illustrated. It’s one of a kind.” Weiss said without taking her eyes out of the book.

“Yeah there’s so much cool stuff in this cabin! I bet the basement has tons of old and rare stuff in it. I wonder where the key went.” Ruby said.

Both of them remained silent for awhile. Weiss was busy with her book and Ruby was only five rounds away from beating Yang. It was the closest she had ever gotten. “ _Weiss must be my lucky charm.”_ Ruby thought while she mashed buttons on her controller.

Then Ruby heard a laugh. One she knew far too well. It was the wolf man. This time it didn’t sound like it was in her head. In the corner of her eye she saw him. He was leaning against the living room wall. He was nicely dressed, wearing a white dress shirt and black pants. He was smiling and flipping a coin.

“Don’t speak out loud. Don’t act like anything is strange. She can’t see me, don’t worry kid. I just got bored. I still you are working very hard and you took my advice from earlier.” The wolf man smirked.

Ruby continued to play the game and listen to him quickly. She didn’t want to bring any attention to herself or Weiss would be confused. She tried to remain relaxed and calm but her heart was beating fast and she could feel herself breaking into a cold sweat. “ _How is he here?”_ Ruby questioned.

“I’m so bored just sitting in your head all day and night. I decided it would be fun if I made things alittle more fun. Maybe that would motivate you to do something for once.” He laughed again.

Ruby looked at him with a concerned face. “ _He isn’t planning on hurting anyone? Does he want to hurt Weiss?”_ Ruby thought.

“Now I know what you are thinking, I’m not going to make blood spill _this time_. I just want to mess with you. It will be hilarious.” He walked up next to her. He made sure he wasn’t blocking the tv.

“You see this coin? Do you think it will land on heads or tails? Of course, don’t actually answer this question out loud, my rose.” He smiled and flipped the coin the air and caught it.

He opened he hand to reveal what it had landed on. “Heads. Nice. Enjoy my treat kiddo. I know I’ll have fun watching.” He laughed and disappeared. His laugh slowly faded until it was back inside Ruby’s head and went silent.

“ _What the hell does that mean?”_ Ruby thought. Her question was answered when she suddenly felt a headache overcome her. It was a strange and different kind of headache. It was on the top of her head and not in the temporal. She touched the top of her head and realized what it was. She quickly pulled her red hood over head and stood up.

“Weiss I need to go to the bathroom! Cover me while I’m gone! Don’t let me die please!” Ruby said and tossed Weiss the controller as she ran upstairs quickly and headed to the bathroom.

“Hey! I don’t know how to play video games! Ruby!” She picked up the controlled and looked at the screen. She sighed.

Ruby rushed to the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She saw spots of blood on the floor and decided to ignore them for now and focus on the problem she saw in the mirror.

Ruby looked at her reflection. She had two wolf ears perked up on the top of her red. They were similar to the ones she had when she was a wolf pup. They were black but faded to red at the tips. She reached up and touched them. “ _They are real. How do I get rid of them? How the hell am I going to hide this from Weiss?”_ Ruby thought to herself.

She took out her phone and sent a text to Blake saying “Blake I need your help! I suddenly got wolf ears sticking out of my head! I have no idea how to get rid of them.”

She walked out of the bathroom and went to her room. She found a baseball hat in her closet and put it on her head. “ _Weiss won’t think this is odd, right? I hope not. I really need to tell her about this soon…”_ Ruby thought with a sigh and headed back downstairs.

She looked at Weiss who was staring at the tv screen intensely. Ruby realized that Weiss had beat Yang’s record on the game. Weiss turned and looked at Ruby. She handed her back the controller.

“I organized your weapons and loot by rarity and usefulness. This game is so simple.” Weiss said and picked up her book and started reading again. She would never admit it but she actually really enjoyed the game.

**POV Blake and Yang**

Yang and Blake had been walking for a good amount of time now. Blake knew what she had to tell Yang but was nervous. Yang broke the silence. “How are you feeling?” Yang asked.

“Stressed. Unsure. Scared.” Blake said.

“Can I do anything?” Yang asked.

Blake felt her heart beating faster. “ _Just get it over with. It’s like ripping off a bandaid.”_ Blake thought.

“I….I can’t stay here anymore. I have to go.” Blake said. Yang stopped in her tracks. Blake walked in her and stumbled back slightly.

“What? Why?” Yang asked. Her voice sounded broken. She was holding but tears.

“You don’t know Adam like I do. Hes a dangerous man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. I’ve seen how strong he is. The amount of man power he controls. He has a gang! I’ve seen people get murdered, disappear, and get tortured because of me! I don’t want that to happen to you, Ruby or Weiss.” Blake said.

“It won’t.” Yang said. She could barely speak.

“Yang look at me! I’m a faunus. I’m a freak! I’m a black cat. I’m bad luck for everyone around me. I don’t deserve your kindness. I need to stay away from you!” Blake said.

Yang grabbed Blake with force and pushed her against a tree. She towered over Blake and had her arms on both sides of Blake to block her from escaping.

“Please let me do this Yang. Let me keep you safe. All my life I have only done bad things. Let this be the one good thing.” Blake said. Tears started sliding down her face.

Yang looked at her in the eyes. She was different. Her eyes were red and full of anger but tears spilled out of them and down her face. Her breathing was hard.

“You think running away will help a goddamn thing Blake? He will find you and he will do so much more then murder you. I’m not letting that happen and don’t think you have to do this alone. And how fucking dare you say that you are unlucky. Since I met you I have been the luckiest person in the world! I love you and care about you! Before I moved here I knew I was different and misunderstood. I was outcast! Then I met you and I finally found someone who understood me! I understand he is strong and dangerous but we can’t quit. I’m too fucking stubborn to just admit defeat!” Yang screamed at her.

Blake looked at her stunned. “I don’t want you getting hurt because of me Yang.”

“I get hurt all the time. I’m a reckless person. But I’m also the kind of person who would take a bullet for someone I care about. You have been fighting this battle alone all your life. Now you have me, Ruby, and Weiss. Hell, I bet I can get some of the classmates to help as well. Let me help you Blake.” Yang said.

Blake looked at her and sighed in defeat. “Fine…. Lets just try out best. We can plan this out. It might work. I know how he fights and what his semblance is.” Blake said.

Yang’s red eyes changed back to purple and she looked her and grinned. “That’s the spirit kitty.” Yang said.

“So you really think I’m lucky?” Blake asked. Her face was slightly red. She raised an eyebrow. Yang was still pinning her against the tree.

Yang blushed. “Well…yes.” Yang said with a nervous laugh.

“Well about that….” Blake said and transformed. She decided to start off with just a small black cat. She sunk into her clothes. She got caught in the hoodie during the transformation though. It wasn’t as smooth as she had wanted it to be.

Yang jumped and looked around. All she saw was a pile of Blake’s clothes on the ground. Yang started looking around. “Blake? Please don’t tell me you ran away? Please don’t tell me you ran away naked….” Yang called out.

Blake tried wiggling out of the hoodie but she couldn’t. She didn’t want to make Yang scared and think she ran away. She decided she could let out a mew to get her attention.

Yang turned back at the pile of clothes when she heard the noise. A confused expression on her face when she reached down and pulled out something from the hoodie she had let Blake borrow.

Yang pulled at a short haired black cat with yellow eyes. Yang’s eyes went wide and a huge smile grew on her face. “Blake you can turn into a cat! Oh my god you are so cute!” Yang said and pulled Blake into a hug. She rubbed her face against Blake’s.

“I always wondered if you could. I know you’re a faunus and you have cat ears but I heard that special faunuses could transform! You are so awesome Blake.” Yang said with a smile.

“ _Wow she is taking this well. I guess she would since Ruby is her sister and all. Guess I’ll show her something else I can do.”_ Blake thought.

She started to wiggle and mew. Yang understood what she wanted and placed her and the ground. “I love the way you meow as well!” Yang said with a grin.

Blake transformed again but this time she was much larger. She changed into a large black panther that was 4 times Yang’s size. She was lean but still strong looking. Her claws were large and her fangs were sharp. Her yellow eyes glowed at Yang.

Yang looked shocked for a moment but walked up to her. She slowly reached forward and put her hand on Blake’s face and rubbed it. She then added her other hand and eventually rubbed her face against Blake’s.

Yang stopped petting her and backed off and looked at Blake. She started to laugh. Her whole body shook while she laughed. Blake was confused by this action and transformed back to her human body.

“What’s so funny?” Blake asked.

“Did you think I would freak out if I knew you could transform?” Yang asked.

“No….okay yes I did.” Blake admitted.

“Blake I don’t think you realized this yet but none of us are normal. What is normal anyway?” She laughed.

“I guess it was silly.” Blake said.

“Also….I don’t want to make this weird or anything but you are completely naked right now. That’s a cute tattoo by the way.” Yang said with a wink. Her face was flushed.

Blake ran to get her house and her face was completely red. “Whatever. I was sixteen. I thought tattooing my symbol to my hip would be cool.” Blake said.

“It’s totally sexy kitty cat!” Yang said with a laugh.

Blake reached in her pocket and took out her phone to see what time it was. She had one new text from Ruby. She opened it and read it. “Looks like Ruby is in trouble. She asked for my help. We should probably head back.” Blake said.

“Is she okay?” Yang asked.

“She is fine. She just doesn’t know how to control her transformations completely. She has wolf ears right now. I really should teach her how to transform and control it. She could even change her size like me.” Blake said.

“That would be cool! Weiss could ride on her back and I could ride on yours. We would look badass.” Yang joked.

“haha. Very funny.” Blake said.

“Do you mind heading back alone? I actually have to run a quick errand. I’ll be back in no time. I want to do it before it gets dark.” Yang said.

“Alright. Just be careful out there Yang.” Blake said.

“I will! Text me if you need anything, okay?” Yang said.

“I promise. Thank you Yang.” Blake said and headed back to the cabin. Once Blake was out of sight Yang started to run.

She ran deeper into the forest until she came to a large grey building. It looked like it was falling apart and had not been used in ages. She opened the door to the large building and went inside. It looked like it had once been a night club.

She saw bars with bottles of alcohol lining them. She saw broken glasses and old glasses scattered everywhere. She saw old dusty tables and booths. Some were broken and fallen apart, others just had a coat of dust covering them. She saw a large old dance floor that looked that it had once been able to light up. Some sections looked cracked and damaged. Others looked for dull. Old LED lights surrounded the inside of the building. An old platform lay in the front of the club with old machinery used to play music. Old speakers were placed through the whole building. It looked like there were a bunch of private rooms everywhere in the building. Yang didn’t even want to think about the shadey or sexual things that happened in them. The place probably looked amazing back in the day and was probably very popular with people in her age group and people in their twenties.

She looked around and the place looked empty. She readied her weapons and looked at the time. It was 2:57pm. She knew this was the place the letter had told her to meet the mystery person at.

She loaded bullets into her weapons and called out. “I’m here. Who are you and what the hell do you want?”

 

 


	15. Just Try to Refuse Me

**AN: I just want to say thank you again for everyone who reads my fic “Into the Woods”. I really enjoy reading all of your comments and feedback. I appreciate the advice you guys give me to improve my writing and everyone trying to predict what happens next. I do not use Tumblr prompts to write this fic. This is a story that I have had in my head and mapped out. I mapped out the plot of the story but I’m jumping back and forth between a few parts of the story. This is a slow burn in a romantic stand point and I want the transition between friendship to crush to romance to seem natural and not random or forced. I have indicated a few times in past chapters where characters blush or flustered by another character. This doesn’t always have to be romantic. I get nervous around friends sometimes. You can also love a friend. The question is when does a friendship start to develop into a crush and how does that person know? You’ll find out. The plot will start containing more trigger warnings and I will warn you ahead of time in the Author Notes. My goal will be to post 2 chapters a week. One will be on Monday and one will be on Friday.**

**Also sorry for the late update! This week has been crazy!**

**Trigger warnings: Brief description of rape.**

**Chapter 15**

**Just Try to Refuse Me**

**POV Yang**

            The old night club remained silent. It looked untouched, like no one had been there for years. Yang started to walk around and see if she could find anything. She kept her guard up and her weapons ready.

            “Hello? Anyone here. I got your letter! It’s 3:00pm.” Yang called out. Her voice echoed. It was the only noise she could hear in the place. She walked up to the bar. She was starting to get annoyed.

            “ _Was this some kind of sick prank someone is trying to pull?”_ Yang thought. No. It couldn’t be. No one at school except for Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and herself ever walked out of town and into the woods. Everyone had some strange fear about it that Yang couldn’t understand.

            “Argh! Come out already!” Yang yelled out. She was getting annoying. She had no one what she was even expecting from this strange letter.

            Finally another noise could be heard. It sounded like a slow paced clap of the hands. It started quietly, like it was far away, and slowly got louder after every clap. A door behind the door opened and a man appeared in the doorway.

            The man was in a nice white jacket and wore black pants. He had a cane with him that he carried in my hand. He had bright red hair that covered one eye. The other eye had a heavy coat of eyeliner underneath it. He wore a bowie hat and a cigar between his lips.

            “ _He looks so familiar. Where have I seen him before?”_ Yang thought.

He removed the cigar and rubbed the lit end against the old bar counter to put it out. A cloud of smoke escaped his mouth. He looked at Yang and a smirk appeared on his face.

“I’m glad you could make it blondie!” The man said to her. The smirk remained on his face.

“Who are you?” Yang asked. She clenched her fists and put her arms in front of her, ready to fight.

“You don’t remember me? I’m hurt, wounded even. And can you calm down with that? I asked you to come here so we could chat.” The man said.

Yang thought for a moment. She knew she had seen him before, but where? Finally the place came to her head. “You’re that guy from the apartment complex Adam lives in!” Yang said.

“It took you long enough. I don’t think I formally introduced myself to you at that time though. The names Roman Torchwick.” He said and reached a hand out to shake hers.

Yang looked at it unsure for a moment before she reached out and shook his hand. “I’m Yang –“

“I am perfectly aware of who you are. “ Roman interrupted her.

He walked up to the bar and grabbed to classes. He poured himself a drink and then turned to Yang. “Would you like anything blondie? You look like you could be a fan of tequila sunrises. I make some good ones!” He said to her.

Yang wasn’t interested in drinking. She wanted to know why he asked her to come here.

“Why did you write that letter? Why did you want to talk?” Yang asked.

“You want to cut to the chase. Okay we can do that. Ever since the day I saw you I have been watching you and your cute little group of friends. You guys decided to help that poor little kitty and you have to deal with Adam. I’ve know Adam for a long time. He is high ranking in his gang but prefers to work alone. My gang has worked with him a few times.” Roman said with a smile.

“So you’re here to fight me because you work with him? I won’t let you.” Yang said ready to fight.

“Settle down there kid. I wasn’t finished. I have worked with him a few times but that doesn’t mean my gang likes him. I dislike the guy very much. His method of dealing with things is very messy, loud, childish, and he doesn’t really have a moral code. The guy would always do things his way and they were never subtle. I prefer staying under the radar. I have a love/hate relationship with all my members but we work well together. He doesn’t work well with anyone. The guys a prick.” Roman explained.

“I had one of my members, Neo, following you one day when a large group of members from his gang tried to fight you and grab you. You defeated them all so easily. I’m impressed. I will say this though. You are not ready to fight Adam. If you fight him now you won’t stand a chance. You fight well but you need training.” Roman said.

“No I don’t! Everyone keeps saying he is tough but so am I!” Yang yelled.

“Then you wouldn’t mind fighting my partner would you? It should be no problem correct?” Roman said with a grin.

Yang turned around and jumped slightly. She didn’t noticed the small girl she stood before her enter the room. The girl had a lowcut white jacket on with a corset underneath it. She had pink and brown hair and pink and brown eyes. She had an umbrella with her. She looked up at Yang with a confident smile.

“You are the girl from the party! You snuck the letter in my pocket!” Yang said.

The girl looked at her and kept smiling.

“She may look small and cute but Neo is a cold blooded killer. She is one of the best on my team. She might look like a kid but she is older then you.” Roman said.

“Okay lets fight Neo.” Yang said and got into a fighting stance.

She ran at Neo and swung her arm at the girls face. The girl didn’t try to dodge it or use her weapon. She moved her arm up and blocked the punch with it. It surprised Yang. Yang knew she was a hard hitter and the fact that this small girl could stop one of her punches was amazing.

Neo smirked and swung her leg at Yang and kicked her hard in the stomach. She fell on her back and the force from the kick made her slide across the floor.

Yang looked at Neo who turned her head to the side and the confident smirk didn’t leave her face.

Yang got up and charged at the smaller girl. While she was running she shot a for of her weapons incendiary ammo at the girl. Neo walked around the bullets as Yang charged at her and tried to punch her again. Neo blocked the punch the same way she did the first time and kicked Yang again. She slid across the floor and growled.

She got up faster then she did the first time and ran at Neo again. Her movements were faster. The bullets were harder to dodge but Neo did it without any problem.

            Yang went in for another punch and Neo blocked it again but this time the force of the punch made Neo move a few inches. Roman chuckled to himself as he saw the one sided fight. Neo was just playing with her. It was a good way to see Yang’s Semblance in action though.

Before Neo could get another kick in Yang tried to punch her again and this time use some of her ammo while she punched. Yang thought she finally got a hit on her opponent but the girl in from of her shattered like glass.

“ _What the hell?_ ” Yang thought.

Suddenly she something cold and sharp against her neck. A force forced her onto the ground on her knees and disarmed her of her weapons. The blade stayed at her neck.

“I believe you lost Yang. Good work as always Neo.” Roman said.

Yang was shocked. She lost. She lost so easily. The girl didn’t even break a sweat. She didn’t even use her weapon. She was toying with her the whole time.

Neo removed the blade from Yang’s neck and stood in front of her. She smirked at Yang’s defeated face. She gave the blonde girl a wink and then walked over to one of the bar stools and sat down.

“Like I said blondie, you are not ready to fight Adam. But don’t look so down! I want to help you.” Roman said.

Yang remained on her knees. Her head hung down. “How?” was all she could say.

“My gang will teach you how to fight to use your skills. You have a very nice semblance and a fine weapon. You are strong but you can be stronger.” Roman said.

“There has to be a catch. What do I have to do for you?” Yang asked

“You are correct. Nothing in life is free. You have to work to get anything in this world. I will teach you. I will make you stronger. I will make you have what it takes to defeat Adam. In return you have to work for me. “ Roman said with a smile.

“No. I can’t do that. I can’t be a horrible person.” Yang said,

“I am a horrible person. My gang has done plenty of nasty things to have harmed a lot of people. If we didn’t do those things though we would have died. No one in this world is considered good. We all do what we have to for survive and take care of the people that matter to us. You have hurt people before. What about Blake? She has killed people. Weiss’s family has ruined millions of peoples lives.” Then Roman started to laugh.

“And what about your cute little sister?” Roman said with a chuckle and a smile.

Yang punched the ground in rage. “Shut up!” She yelled.

“When Adam comes for you, death will a blessing. He will fuck all you guys up. He will make you watch as she cuts your sister up and makes her slowly bleed out. He will make you hear the screams of pain from Weiss as he does the same. He would probably keep her alive but cut her in pieces. He would send her father limbs and ask for a reward. Once he gets the money there will be barely anything left of the poor girl. Then he would make you watch as he forces himself onto Blake. He would make you watch as he stripped the girl naked and rub his hands all over her naked flesh. He would grab, finger, and squeeze whatever he wanted as she screamed for him to stop.

He would fuck her over and over again. He could keep coming back day after day. He would force her to fuck him. I heard he was into some crazy stuff in bed. He likes shoving things where they don’t belong. He loves cutting skin while he fucks and tasting the blood. After a few days Blake would be begging for him to kill her but in the end he would make you do it just to fuck with you before he kills you.” Roman said.

Yang’s whole body was shaking. Tears fell down her face. She couldn’t speak. Just the things Roman told her was putting her into shock. She didn’t want to work for him but she didn’t want everyone to suffer.

Roman looked at her and the state she was in. “I’ll let you think about your decision. I’ll contact you later.” Roman said and he reached down toward Yang. He found her cell phone in her pocket and added his number into it before placing it back in her bag.

“Don’t tell anyone about this meeting. Got it, Blondie?” Roman said.

Neo stood up from the bar stool and walked over to Yang. She gave Yang another smirk because she kicked Yang again. Yang blacked out.

“I think this meet went well! What do you think Neo?” Roman said with a smile.

Neo raised an eyebrow at him.

“Can you take her back to her little cabin? You can put her in the garden until she wakes up.” Roman said.

Neo smiled and nodded before she tried to pick Yang up but ended up dropping her. Neo frowned and then grabbed the Blonde’s legs and started to drag her.

“Maybe I should help you.” Roman said with a chuckle and picked up the Blonde.

**POV Blake, Weiss, Ruby**

Blake walked into the cabin and looked into the living room. Ruby was attempting to play a video game but she looked like stiff. Blake noticed the hat Ruby had on to cover her ears. She remembered when she used to wear a hat but switched to a bow a few years ago.

Weiss was on the couch with a book in her hand. She was pretending to read the book and act like she had no interest in the game but she was peeking her eyes over the pages and looking at the screen.

“Hey guys.” Blake said.

They both turned and looked at her. “Hey Blake!” Ruby said. Her voice was alittle shaky but it wasn’t too obvious. Weiss waved an arm to greet Blake.

Blake turned and started to head upstairs. She got to the top of the stairs. “Hey Ruby I need help moving something! Can you help for a moment?” Blake called out.

Ruby paused the game and got up and headed to the stairs. “Sure! Coming!” Ruby called out in response.

They both met at the top of the stairs on got to the bathroom. Ruby closed the door behind them. “Let’s see them.” Blake gently said.

Ruby frowned and took the hat off her head. Two pointed wolf ears became visible. Blake studied them for a moment and thought about how she could help.

“My cat ears don’t disappear but I can change my shape. I can make some features happen on command. If I want a tail then I got make it appear. Same thing with claws. I feel like you must be able to do the same thing. If you noticed the mind and emotions are what trigger a complete transformation.” Blake said.

Ruby looked at her and nodded.

“You have to use your mind to overcome this problem and make the ears disappear. Its all in your head. Its just like when you want to change back to a human when you are a puppy. Just think about yourself without the ears. Don’t like depression or stress take over because you will lose control.” Blake said.

Ruby took a deep breath and closed her eyes. After a minute she managed to relax her body. She thought about her face and what she looked like with wolf ears. She opened her eyes when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Blake looked at her with a smile on her face. Ruby looked into the bathroom mirror. The ears were gone. She looked completely human again. She smiled at her reflection.

“Thank you Blake! You are the best!” Ruby said with a smile and hugged Blake. Blake hugged her back a laughed gently.

“You and your sister love giving out hugs.” Blake said. They both released from the hug.

“How about I start training you how to use your faunus abilities? We can practice alittle bit every night.” Blake suggested.

Ruby looked at her with a huge grin on her face. “Yes! Blake you are the best! Thank you so much!” Ruby said and jumped at Blake and gave her another hug.

“No problem. Lets head downstairs again.” Blake said.

They both headed back to the living room and Ruby started to giggle when she saw Weiss playing the game she had paused. “Hey Weiss!” Ruby said.

Weiss jumped and paused the game on reflex. “I was just checking something!” Weiss said.

“Weiss you like video games! Lets do two player!” Ruby said and grabbed another controller and turned it on.

“Fine you dolt.” Weiss said.

Blake sat down and watched them play a game for about an hour. She remembered Yang mentioned having a movie night tonight. “ _I wonder when Yang is coming back.”_ Blake thought.

“Hey guys. Do you mind going into town and going to the video rental store and getting a few movies? It will be getting dark in a few hours.” Blake said.

“Sure that sounds like fun! We can get a few movies. Lets go Weiss.” Ruby said and stood up.

“I could use a walk after be cooped up all day.” Weiss said. She grabbed her jacket and put it on. Ruby turned off the Xbox and they both headed outside.

They were talking to each other as they walked through the garden in front of the cabin. Ruby wasn’t looking at the ground and suddenly tripped on something and fell down and landed on what she tripped on.

“Yang?” Ruby said. She had fallen on Yang who appeared to be asleep in the garden. The fall didn’t wake Yang up.

“Is she like a rock or something.” Weiss asked.

“No but she is a super heavy sleeper. “ Ruby said.

Blake came outside to see what had happened and walked over to Ruby. She saw Yang asleep on the garden floor and raised an eyebrow.

“I know how to wake her up! Yang is super ticklish!” Ruby said. She leaned down to Yang’s stomach. Part of her stomach was visible. She put her lips on her stomach and blew. Ruby gave Yang a razzberry.

Yang sat on up and looked around confused. She turned and saw Ruby, Weiss, and Blake all looking at her confused.

“Ruby did you tell them I’m ticklish?” Yang asked.

“Yes!” Ruby said with a giggle.

“Now they know my weakness!” Yang joked.

“So why exactly are you out here sleeping in the garden?” Weiss asked.

“Oh yeah. I just really enjoy the fall weather. I laid down to just enjoy the scenery and must have fallen asleep.” Yang said with laugh.

“It’s too cold to do that Yang. You’ll catch a cold. Lets come inside. You look like you need a warm shower.” Blake said.

“Fine! Where are you and Weiss going, Ruby?” She said as she got off the ground and looked at her sister.

“We are going into town to rent some movies for tonight!” Ruby said with a smile.

“Awesome! Get some good ones! You know the type of movies I like.” Yang said with a smile. She headed to the cabin with Blake.

**POV Weiss and Ruby**

Ruby and Weiss got to the video store and walked inside. The store was packed with movies from every genre and were organized by genre in the store. Ruby started looking around at the signs above the shelves of movies to find the genre she wanted and ran ahead of Weiss. Weiss laughed to herself. “ _She is always excited no matter where we go.”_ Weiss thought.

Weiss followed Ruby. She found her in the fantasy and adventure sections of the store. “I thought we were looking for scary movies?” Weiss questioned.

“Yang said we can rent a few movies. When we were younger Yang would always rent a different fantasy movie every weekend and we would watch them together. I thought it would be nice if we started that up again.” Ruby said with a smile.

Her eyes scanned the large quantity of movie titles in front of her. Her eyes stopped on a movie with a young girl, about her age, standing in the woods at night. The girls shirt was ripped and there was a huge bloody wound in the middle of her chest. Behind the girl was a large wolf that was taller then her. The wolf showed its teeth and blood was dripping. The eyes of the monster were calm though.

“How about this one?” Ruby picked up the movie and showed it to Weiss.

“It looks a bit violent.” Weiss stated.

“Well Yang did want scary movies. This is a good mix of horror and fantasy! I’ll let you pick the next movie.” Ruby said.

Weiss thought for a moment. “Alright, but not from this genre.” Weiss said and walked a few shelves away. Ruby followed her. Weiss was looked at the romance section. Ruby looked concerned. Weiss looked over and saw Ruby’s face.

“What?” Weiss said.

“Yang is very picky about her romance movies. She doesn’t like clichés or predictable plots.” Ruby said.

“Who would like those? She doesn’t have to watch it if she doesn’t like it. I can watch it on my own. I do like romance but nothing cheesy or overdone.” Weiss said.

Ruby smiled. “I’ll watch it with you! I bet you have great taste in movies.” Ruby said.

“It would be embarrassing if I didn’t.” Weiss said and picked up a movie. She picked one with a young female on the cover. She was surrounded with snow. She had blood on her dress. She had a sword drawn and she was glaring to whatever was facing her off camera.

“That looks intense for a romance movie.” Ruby said in surprise.

“Not everything has to be black and white romantically.” Weiss said.

They both headed to the horror, thrillers, and scary movie section of the store. They suspected most the movies would be rented because it was around Halloween but luckily there were still plenty of options to pick from.

Ruby and Weiss studied the movies in front of them. Weiss picked a few up and read the summary on the back of them. She didn’t want a movie that relied on jump scares, tons of fake blood, or sudden loud sounds to scare people. She wouldn’t admit it but she loved scary movies. They were her favorite genre. She had seen most of the ones the store owned. She wanted something new. She loved the ones that messed with her head.

Ruby was looking at each movie. She was waiting for one of the covers to catch her eye. She usually picked movies based on if they looked visually pleasing to her. Her eyes were caught on one of the movies. It had an older woman on it. Half of her face was smiling and the other side of her face was frowning and covered in blood. She picked it up.

Weiss found one with a very simple cover. It had a mountain cliff that was covered in snow. Below the cliff was a forest. It was very simple but she liked the mystery it added. She reached to pick up the movie but another hand reached for it at the same time.

“Oh I’m sorry. You can have it.” The man said and took his hand back.

“Thank you.” Weiss said.

She picked up the movie and then turned to look at the man. He was very tall compared to her and Ruby and looked like he was probably either almost done with college or recently finished. He wore black skinny jeans and a black collared shirt with a white time. He had bright crimson hair that was pulled back and spikey. He had 2 horns coming out of his head but they almost blended in with his hair. He had green eyes and a calm expression on his face.

“You two look familiar. I believe we met briefly at the party last night. My name is Alex. It’s a pleasure.” He said with a smile.

“You are the person who got that guy to leave me alone.” Weiss said.

“Yes dear. He probably didn’t mean you any harm. Alcohol can make anyone think illogically.” Alex said with another warm smile to his face.

Weiss smiled back in return and laughed. “I probably had a bit too much to drink as well.”

Ruby started to feel strange and decided to stand next to Weiss and wrap an arm around Weiss’s shoulder. Weiss looked over at her confused for a moment but then looked back at Alex.

“Are you sure do not want the movie? I can look for a different one.” Weiss asked.

“No that is fine. I already saw it. You should see it. I really like the ending. I highly recommend it if you are a fan of horror movies.” Alex said with a smile. He bowed to both girls.

“I have to go to work now. I hope you ladies have a wonderful night. Be careful walking home. Its going to get dark soon. Theres so many dangerous people out there. I hope I run into you two again soon.” He said and turned to the store exit and opened the door. He lifted an arm up and waved at both of the girls before walking outside and out of sight.

Ruby still had an arm wrapped around Weiss’s shoulder. Once Alex was out of sight she took a deep breath and her rested her head on Weiss’s other shoulder. Weiss snapped back to focus on Ruby and her face flushed slightly. “ _Why is she resting her head on my should? Why is she holding me like this?”_ Weiss wondered.

Ruby’s eyes went wide when she realized what she was doing and snapped her head up and shoved her hand in her pocket. Her other hand held the movies they selected.

They both walked up to the register and paid for the rentals before exiting the store. They started to walk home. The sun was starting to set and gust of wind hit them. Ruby shivered and put her hood up.

“It’s starting to get colder.” Ruby said.

“It will probably start snowing here soon.” Weiss said.

“Do you like the snow?” Ruby asked.

“Yes. I absolutely cannot stand warm weather. I love the cold. My older sister used to visit me all the time during the winter but she stopped a few years ago. It reminds me of all the good times I had when she came.” Weiss said.

Ruby knew her family was a sensitive subject for the other girl and she could relate to that. She reached over to Weiss and squeezed her hand. Weiss looked over at Ruby and gave her a small smile and squeezed back.

“Lets hurry and get back so we can have the best movie night ever!” Ruby said with a smile. She started to run but kept holding Weiss’s hand and pulled her alone. Weiss started to run to keep up with Ruby.

“Alright but slow down alittle bit! There is no reason we have to rush back.” Weiss said.

 

 


	16. Reasons to Cry

**Chapter 16**

**Reasons to Cry**

**POV Yang, Blake, Weiss, and Ruby**

            Weiss and Ruby returned to the cabin by the night the sun had set. “Hey guys! We’re back!” Ruby announced as she entered the cabin. Weiss came in after her out of breath.

            Blake and Yang were in the living room on the couch. Blake was sitting on one end of the couch with a book in her hand while Yang laid down across the couch with her head on Blake’s lap. She had her Gameboy in her hand. “Welcome back! What movies did you guys get?” Yang called out.

            Ruby and Weiss walked into the living room. Weiss sat down in the love seat while Ruby stood in front of the couch and pulled each movie out one by one to show Blake and Yang. Blake and Yang put down their book and Gameboy.

            “Nice variety.” Blake noted.

            “Which one should we watch first?” Ruby asked.

            Yang eyed the movies and thought for a moment. “Well I feel like we should watch a scary movie since its still Halloween week. Either one is fine with me. Which one do you want to watch first Blake?” Yang said.

            Blake looked that movies and thought. The one with the snowy cliff stood out to her the most since it was the only one with no character on the cover and no blood on the cover. It was still a horror movie but it seemed different and more unique. “Fallen Snow looks interesting.” Blake said.

            “That’s the one Weiss picked!” Ruby said with a smile.

            “How about we all change into our pjs before we start the movie up. I’ll make some popcorn!” Yang said.

            “Sounds good.” Blake said.

            Blake and Yang went upstairs first. Ruby headed to the stairs but stopped and turned to where Weiss was sitting. She was still in the love seat. She was fidgeting and had a frown on her face. “What’s wrong Weiss?” Ruby asked.

            “I don’t live here. I don’t have a pair of pjs here to change into.” Weiss explained.

            “I thought you could just borrow one of mine.” Ruby said with a smile.

            Weiss stood up and walked toward the stairs. “Are you sure?” Weiss asked.

            “Its totally fine Weiss!” Ruby said as they both headed to her room upstairs. Ruby closed the door behind them and walked up to her dresser. She grabbed a pair of long black cotton pj pants that had a rose design on them and a black tank top. She found a pair of black shorts and a red tank top with a rose on it for Weiss and handed them to her.

            “You should really bring a few pairs of clothes over here since you are here so much.” Ruby joked. “Not that I mind that.”

            Weiss took the clothes from Ruby and tried to keep a straight face. “I’ll go change in the bathroom! I’ll meet you downstairs!” Ruby said with a smile and opened her door and closed it behind her.

            Once Ruby had left the room Weiss looked down at the pair of pjs Ruby gave her and smiled. “ _I wonder if she was serious about bringing some of my stuff over here.”_ Weiss thought.

            She quickly changed and headed back downstairs. Blake and Ruby were already in the living room ready to watch the movie. Ruby sat on the floor while Blake sat on the couch. Yang was in the kitchen and you could hear the popping of popcorn being microwaved.

            Weiss went over to the love seat and sat down in it. Ruby was on the floor near her feet. Yang came in the room with two large bowls of popcorn. “Alright it’s movie time!” Yang said with a grin.

            She handed Blake one of the bowls and then walked over to Ruby and Weiss and handed Ruby the other one. Yang looked at Ruby and smiled. “You look so adorable with Ruby’s clothes on Weiss. Awww.” Yang teased them.

            Weiss’s face started to faintly turn red and she frowned. “Must everything you own be either red, black, and have a rose on it?” Weiss muttered.

            “Yes.” Ruby said and stuck her tongue out at Weiss. She put the bowl of popcorn down on the floor near Weiss’s feet and then she laid down on her chest on faced the tv.

            Yang walked up to the dvd player and put the movie in. She walked over to the light switch and turned every light off so the only thing in the room that brightened it was the glow of the title screen of the movie.

Yang walked over to the couch and sat next to Blake. Blake handed her some popcorn. “Movie time!” Yang said and grabbed the remote. Yang hit play and the movie started.

The movie had been going for about an hour so far and no of them had spoken since the movie started. Yang grabbed a handful of popcorn and shoved it in her mouth.

“You know what’t awkward?” Yang said while she munched on her food and breaking the silence.

“What?” Blake asked. She had her head resting on Yang shoulder and was leaning in toward her. She shifted some point during the first half of the movie. Yang wrapped an arm around her and shifted her body so Blake would be more comfortable.

“Watching a very explicit sex scene with your baby sister and friends.” Yang said. Blake laughed. Blake was no stranger to sex and had read plenty of sexual books before so the scene playing out on the screen didn’t bother her but Yang was right. Watching a sex scene with your sister could never been comfortable.

“I do have to say I like how the two main characters are females and represent a same sex couple in a very natural way.” Blake noted.

“True.” Yang said.

Over on the love seat Weiss remained quiet. If anyone looked at her they would notice how red her face was. She was hugging the bowl of popcorn against her chest and her eyes were glued on the screen.

“ _How lewd. When I picked this movie I didn’t know there would be nudity and sex!”_ Weiss thought.

Ruby ended up wrapping herself with a blanket in case the movie got too scary. She could cover her eyes. She was blushing just as much as Weiss was. Ruby didn’t really think about sex at all but once in awhile she would see a picture online randomly or a show she was watching would turn sexual. She was just glad she could hide under the blanket.

The movie kept playing. A few jump scares got Ruby but she remained under the blanket and everyone else had their eyes glued to the screen. The movie reached its climax and they were at the snowy cliff from the cover title. The two main characters were wounded and cornered. A monster had been chasing them and now it looked like they either would fall to their death or get killed by the monster. In the end one of them was attacked by the monster and killed and the other character fell to her death. The tv went to the credits. There was no happy ending.

The room remained silent as the credits rolled by. Ruby flung the blanket off herself and jumped up with her arms in the arm. “What? That’s how it ends? No!” Ruby yelled.

Yang knew how invested Ruby would get in shows or movies and motioned her to come over to the couch. Blake sat up to let Yang move more freely. Yang pat her sisters head and Ruby jumped into Yang’s lap and buried her head into her breast. “They both died.” Ruby whined.

“It’s okay Ruby. You know they weren’t real.” Yang said and rubbed Ruby’s back.

“That ending was a bit annoying. I couldn’t see it ending happily though.” Blake said. She felt bad that Ruby was upset and ended up joining in on the group hug. Yang wrapped her arms around both of them. Blake was at her side and Ruby was on her lap.

Weiss still sat on the love seat. She liked the movie but she was shocked by Ruby’s reaction. She felt slightly awkward because everyone else was in a group hug and she was just awkwardly sitting alone watching. “ _Should I go over there? Would that be weird? Would it be weird if I didn’t?”_ Weiss thought.

Yang looked over at Weiss and smiled. “ _That’s cute. She does care about Ruby. She just needs to learn to open up more. She can be comfortable around us. It will just take her some time.”_ Yang thought.

She released Blake and Ruby from the hug. Ruby looked up at Yang. “So I’m guessing they won’t be making a sequel.” Yang said. Ruby’s face scrunched up.

“Yang!” Ruby pouted. Yang laughed.

“That was a good movie choice Weiss! Plot was awesome. It was predictable. I liked the dark themes.” Blake said.

“I liked it as well. We almost didn’t get it. This guy we went at the party almost rented it but was polite enough to let us rent it.” Weiss said.

Ruby frowned when Weiss brought up the guy. She didn’t like Alex and she couldn’t explain why.

“A guy from the party? Was it Neptune?” Yang asked.

“No his name is Alex. He actually stopped Neptune from harassing me at the party.” Weiss said. Blake’s eyes twitched.

“I know Neptune can be annoying some times but he is a nice guy. He just doesn’t know how to talk to girls when he is nervous. Then everyone was drinking. You know alcohol and nerves never mix well.” Yang said.

“I know you hang out with him and Sun sometimes but he just doesn’t seem like someone I like.” Weiss said.

“So tell me more about this Alex guy! I don’t remember seeing him at the party. Does he go to our school?” Yang asked.

Ruby remained silent. She grabbed hold of Yang’s shirt. Yang noticed and eyed Ruby. She couldn’t tell what was wrong and continued to listen to Weiss.

“He is older then us. He looks like he is probably almost done with college. He is very formal and polite though. He stood out at the party because he was probably the only guy who could handle his hormones and alcohol. He was nicely dressed, very tall, red hair, green eyes, and he knew how to speak to a lady.” Weiss noted.

Blake tensed up. “ _No. It can’t be.”_ She thought. She stood up and walked over to Weiss and grabbed her shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes. Weiss looked at her in shock.

“Hey what are you doing?” Weiss asked.

“What did he say his name was?” Blake asked. Her voice loud and demanding.

“His name is Alex. What is the big idea?” Weiss said.

“Did he have two black horns that came out of his forehead?” Blake asked.

Weiss thought for a moment. “Yes. He did. Why?” Weiss asked.

“What was the last thing he said to you before he left you and Ruby?” Blake asked.

Yang looked at Blake confused. Weiss was slightly annoyed. “How would I remember?” Weiss said.

Ruby got off Yang’s lap and faced Blake. “He told us he had to go to his job and he told us to be careful walking home because there are dangerous people out. He said he hoped to see us again.” Ruby said.

“We have to leave now.” Blake said and ran upstairs. Weiss looked confused and Ruby remained silent. Yang jumped off the couch and ran after Blake.

“What was that about?” Weiss asked.

“I think Blake might know him.” Ruby said.

**POV Yang and Blake**

Yang got upstairs and went to Blake’s room. Blake had a suitcase out and was running around the room grabbing books and clothes. “Blake.” Yang calmly said. Blake didn’t seem fazed by Yang and continued her packing.

Yang repeated herself. “Blake.” And still got no response from Blake. She grabbed hold of Blake’s shoulders and made her look at her. “Blake. What is wrong?” Yang asked.

“We have to go. It’s not safe.” Blake said. She tried moving but Yang kept her in place.

“Why do we have to leave Blake. Please talk to me.” Yang said. She tried to keep a calm tone of voice.

“He was at the party. He approached Ruby and Weiss at the party! He found them again today! It isn’t safe.” Blake said. Her voice was starting to break.

“What’s wrong with them talking to some guy?” Yang asked.

“Because that guy is Adam! He is the only guy I know with that physical description! He has horns!” Blake said.

“Are you sure its him?” Yang asked.

“Yes! And now he knows where we live. He probably followed Ruby and Weiss here.” Blake said and started to cry.

Yang didn’t know what to say. She pulled Blake into a hug and Blake held onto her tightly. She buried her face into Yang’s neck and cried. Yang gently pulled Blake onto her bed and laid her down and held on to her. They stayed like that until Blake’s crying became silent and eventually stopped.

Yang let go of Blake and got off the bed. Blake let out a quiet whimper and looked at Yang. Yang turned and looked at her. She had a serious facial expression that made her feel safe.

“Don’t worry. I’m going to go talk to Ruby and Weiss and explain the situation. I won’t tell them about what he did to you but I will tell them that he is dangerous and we have to leave tonight. Keep packing.” Yang said and then gave her a warm smile. She turned and left Blake’s room. She could hear her footsteps heading downstairs. Blake got up and continued packing.

Part of her was upset she had to go. She actually felt at home here and now they had to leave. She had no idea if they could ever return. She was forcing her friends to leave their house. Where would they even go? This was all her fault.

She opened a dresser drawer and pulled out a razorblade. She had the urge to make herself bleed. She wanted to hurt herself. It was the only thing in her life she ever had control over.

She held the razor in her hands and looked at her wrist. The cuts from early were still fresh and her pale skin showed the marks of past times she had done it. She hated looked at those scars but it was the only thing she could ever do.

She felt a jump in her stomach and suddenly had an image of Yang in her head. It was a specific moment but many. The first time she saw Yang. Yang trying hard to make her smile, the lunches at school, their hugs, her huge dorky grin, her accepting her faunus abilities, the book Yang got her, and her helping her over and over again.

The urge disappeared and Blake put the razor down. She packed the razor in her suitcase and finished packing as much of her belongings as she could. She headed downstairs and Yang, Ruby, and Weiss all looked at her.

Weiss got up off the love seat and glared at Blake. She looked angry and Blake was concerned as to why. She walked up to Blake and the glare got larger. “I am very disappointed. I thought we were friends. Friends tell each other when they are in trouble and need help.” Weiss said in an annoyed tone.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get you guys involved.” Blake said to Weiss.

Weiss huffed. “Next time you need something you better come to us.” Weiss said.

Ruby walked up and stood next to Weiss. “Yeah Blake. We are here for you!” Ruby smiled.

“ _But Ruby, you have bigger problems then me to worry about.”_ Blake thought.

“I’m going to go upstairs and pack!” Ruby said with a smile and started heading upstairs.

“I’ll help you! Without me you would be disorganized and messy all the time.” Weiss said and followed Ruby.

“Thank you!” Ruby sang out.

Once they went upstairs it was just Yang and Blake again. Blake felt tears start coming up again. Yang walked up to her and used her hand to rub the tears away. “Hey Blake please don’t cry. Everything will be okay, I promise.” Yang said.

Blake hugged Yang. “I’m crying because I’m happy. People actually care about me.” Blake said.

“Of course we care about you, Blake. Ruby, Weiss, and I love you.” Yang hugged Blake back then smiled at her. She started to head upstairs. “I have to pack but I’ll be quick! It looks like it is raining hard outside by the way.” Yang said.

Blake looked out the window. It was completely dark outside. One of the benefits of living in the woods and not living in a town. Yang was right. It was pouring outside. Blake was never a huge fan of the rain.

**POV Weiss and Ruby**

“You have to pack light Ruby. We can’t carry a lot of stuff with us.” Weiss said.

“I don’t need a lot of clothes. Just a few outfits is fine. Do you think we will have enough room for the video game system and the games?” Ruby asked.

“You are putting video games in front of clothes as a priority?” Weiss asked.

“Yes….It took me and Yang months to save up for it!” Ruby said.

“We don’t have room for it Ruby. I’m sorry.” Weiss said as she folded some of Ruby’s clothes and placed them in a backpack.

“Geez, how many hoodies do you own?” Weiss asked.

“Hoodies are wonderful, Weiss.” Ruby said.

“If you say so. You seem to own a lot of red and black stuff.” Weiss stated.

“I like red and black! They are awesome colors.” Ruby said.

“Well I think I packed a good amount of stuff Ruby. Let’s head back downstairs.” Weiss said.

“Okay!” Ruby said with a smile.

_“She doesn’t seem very affected by all of this. I mean she is basically being forced out of her home because a mad man is stalking us. Why isn’t she upset she has to leave? She seems unfazed. Now that I think about it, Yang didn’t seem very upset about having to leave either. Do they even have a plan for where they are going to stay?”_ Weiss thought.

Ruby and Weiss headed downstairs and saw that Yang had already packed up a backpack and was ready to go. She smiled when Weiss and Ruby came down the stairs.

“You guys ready to go?” Yang asked.

“Yup!” Ruby said with a smile.

Weiss frowned. “Do you guys even have a plan for where you are going?”

Yang stiffened. “Well not really. Ruby and I have done this a few times before so this isn’t anything need. We just have to travel a reasonable distance and find a shelter from the weather.” Yang explained.

“ _They have been forced out of their home before? Oh my god.”_ Weiss thought.

Yang opened the door and the sound of rain pouring down became loud. Yang started to head out and Blake and Ruby followed.

“Wait!” Weiss said. They all turned around and looked at Weiss.

“What is wrong Weiss?” Ruby asked.

“It’s raining and you guys have no money for a hotel! You guys need protection from both this stalker and the weather. I am Weiss Schnee and I will not tolerant knowing that my friends are homeless and out in the cold. Come to my place. I have plenty of room and it has security, walls, giant armour guards, and dust protecting it. Many people try to break into the place but no one ever has. It should be safe.” Weiss said.

Ruby cheered and leaped at Weiss and gave her a huge hug. “Thank you Weiss.” Ruby said.

“No problem. You don’t have to grab me so hard you dolt.” Weiss said.

Yang and Blake both smiled.

“Thank you Weiss.” Blake said.

“Lets get going. The storm should make it hard for anyone to track us.” Yang said.

They all headed out of the cabin and into the woods toward Weiss’s castle. Ruby locked the door behind them. They were all in this together.

 

 


	17. Glass Castle

**AN: People asked if the movie I briefly described last chapter is a real movie. It is not. I live in a very mountainous and forest area and I was feeling a bit homesick since I am away at college. It always snows there!**

**Another question was who I shipped more. I love Yang/Blake and would have to say they are my favorite but I love the innocence of Ruby/Weiss.**

**Chapter 17**

**Glass Castle**

**POV Blake, Yang, Weiss, and Ruby**

            It didn’t take the group very long to get to Weiss’s home. They were rushed because they didn’t want anyone to notice them leave the cabin and track where they were going next. The storm made for a great cover in the dark forest.

            Once they approached the gates to Weiss’s castle they opened for them automatically. They all looked at Weiss in Awe. She sighed. “They open whenever I am in front of them. It’s a trick with dust. I’ll be showing you some other tricks for protection purposes soon.” Weiss said and walked into the castle courtyard.

            Blake, Yang, and Ruby followed her inside. The size of the yard alone made Yang shocked. She knew Weiss was rich but she never imaged this. “ _Didn’t she say her parents owned multiple houses? Why does she always come to our house when she has this huge awesome castle to live in? The girl really is a princess.”_ Yang thought.

            Yang turned to Ruby as they kept following Weiss inside her castle. “Hey Ruby. You have been here before right? How cool is it?” Yang whispered.

            “Extremely cool.” Ruby whispered back.

            They entered the castle and were in a large welcoming room. The room lite up when they entered it. Yang looked at Weiss shocked again. “The lights turn on when it detects motion. This isn’t anything fancy. It is a way to save money on the electric bill.” Weiss said.

            Weiss walked over to a box and opened it. Inside the box was a silver dagger wrapped in a handkerchief. “I need some blood from each of you.” Weiss said.

            Ruby’s eyes went wide and Blake raised an eyebrow. Yang put her hand on her hip. “Why? Is this some weird rich person ritual?” Yang asked.

            Weiss frowned. “No. I can created an invisible protective barrier around the castle to keep out unwelcomed guests. Only people whose blood sample is introduced with the dust can enter the barrier. It’s to keep everyone safe. Okay?” Weiss said. She was starting to get annoyed.

`           “Oh alright then.” Yang picked up the dagger and cut her palm with it. Blood started to drip out and Weiss collected the sample in a tube. Blake went after Yang and finally Ruby went.

            “Alright. Thank you. I’ll be right back. Wait here. When I’m back I guess I can give you guys a tour and you guys can pick a room.” Weiss said and she stepped into another room.

            Blake sat down and started eyeing the decorations in the room they were in. The walls were painted a light baby blue color and the tiled floors were white. The family crest for Weiss’s family was displayed in the center of the floor in black tiles.

            Ruby sat in a chair and started to hum and swing her legs. She was eager for the tour. She had been to Weiss’s house a few times but now she was about to get the full experience and she was slightly excited even though a crazy murderer had stalked them earlier.

            Yang was pacing the room. She was nervous about touching anything in the room because one item alone probably was worth more in money then her own life. Part of her just wanted to touch everything though.

            She saw a bust of a man with a stern facial expression that reminded her of Weiss. The main had thick eyebrows and a bushy mustache. Yang thought for a moment and then eyed around the room. Ruby wasn’t paying attention and Blake looked lost in thought. Weiss was still off somewhere else in the castle. “ _I have to touch it.”_ Yang thought and slowly moved her hand toward the bust.

            Her hand was inches away from it when she heard a voice and stopped. “What do you think you’re doing?” Weiss asked.

            Yang jumped and turned around to face Weiss and rubbed the back of her head. “Nothing.” Yang said with a nervous laugh.

            Weiss looked at her for a moment before speaking. The face she was giving Yang was almost identical with the face of the bust. “Okay. Whatever. I put up the barrier, so we are set with that. I guess I’ll give you guys the grand tour.” Weiss said.

            Blake stood up. “Actually do you think you can show us tomorrow morning? It’s late and I’m tired.” Blake said.

            “It is late. Maybe tomorrow morning you can show us?” Yang suggested.

            Weiss looked at Ruby and Ruby smiled at Weiss. Weiss wasn’t very tired but she agreed. “Alright. I guess I will show you guys some of the bedrooms and you can each pick one.” Weiss said.

            “Awesome!” Yang said with a smile.

They went up a few flights of stairs and then down a few long hallways. Each hallway had multiple doors that led to another room. As much as Yang wanted to explore, she knew she was tired and she needed her rest or she wouldn’t think straight.

They finally stopped in one long hallway. “This is one of our guest quarters wings. It has a few bedrooms, an entertainment room, snack room, and a few extra rooms for whatever. “Thanks Weiss!” Yang said with a smile.

She opened one of the bedrooms up and went inside. Blake went to the room next door to Yang’s and went inside that bedroom. Ruby stayed in the hall and smiled at Weiss.

“What is it Ruby? Don’t you want to pick a room and go to bed?” Weiss asked.

“I will. I was just curious where you are staying. I know your room isn’t on this floor….” Ruby said. “ _And I don’t want you to feel lonely.”_ Ruby kept that part to herself.

Weiss gave a soft smile. “My rooms up a floor.” Weiss said.

“Is there an extra bedroom up there?” Ruby asked.

“I believe so.” Weiss answered.

“Can I stay on the same floor as you?” Ruby asked.

“Sure Ruby.” Weiss said. “ _Thank you.”_ Weiss thought. She would never say that out loud.

Weiss and Ruby both went upstairs together. Weiss would show Ruby a spare room she could stay in.

**POV Yang**

It didn’t take Yang very long to unpack. She didn’t bring a lot of stuff with her. She brought a few sentimental items and some clothes and of course her weapon. She put all her clothes in the dresser the room had and fall onto her bed.

She wasn’t expecting the weekend to turn out like this. She just wanted a nice relaxing weekend with Ruby, Blake, and Weiss. She was so happy Ruby had made a friend. She was even happier that she was getting closer with Blake. Blake was really starting to get more comfortable around her.

When Yang first met Blake she was quiet and mysterious. She didn’t seem like the kind of person who would ever open up or even want a hug. This weekend Blake seemed way more cuddly then Yang would have imagined her being. Yang loved it. It was calm and relaxing.

That made her realize something. She needed to be stronger. She didn’t want to lose Blake. She would do anything to make sure she was happy and safe. Even if that went against Yang’s own morals. She hated feeling weak and she hated being told what to do.

She took out her phone and opened her contacts. She sighed and selected the name “Roman” on her phone. She opened her text messages and wrote out a short and simple text to the man.

“I’ll do it.” Yang said in the text and sent it.

She laid in her bed in silence. The room was dark. It was about 3:30am. The room lit up slightly when her phone screen became bright and buzzed. Yang opened up the reply Roman had sent her.

“Wonderful to hear, Blondie! I will send you information with a time and a meeting location shortly. Take care of yourself and that kitten of yours. :)” Roman said.

“ _I need some air.”_ Yang thought and got out of bed. She walked across the room until she reached a wall of red curtains. Yang moved the curtains to the side to reveal a glass sliding door and opened it. She walked outside and onto a balcony. She rested her arms on the railing on the balcony and took a deep breath of the night time air. That’s when she noticed the strange odor.

She looked to the side and was surprised when she saw Blake out on the balcony with her. Their rooms must have been connected by the balcony. Blake was looking at Yang. Her body seemed stressed but her face looked calm and collected. Her yellow eyes glowed and stood out in the dark night sky. It was still cloudy from the storm but the rain had stopped, at least for now.

Yang looked at Blake shocked. Blake had not spoken to Yang yet. Yang studied Blake for a moment. Blake was in her pjs and nothing seemed strange until Yang noticed the object in Blake’s hand. Yang thought it was a cigarette at first until she finally registered what the smell was.

“Blake are you smoking weed?” Yang asked.

“I thought it would help me calm down.” Blake answered.

“I just didn’t take you as a smoker if I’m going to be honest.” Yang said.

“I used to smoke it a lot more when I lived if Adam. When I moved in with you a felt more relaxed. Sorry.” Blake said.

“No you got it wrong. I don’t think its bad that you are smoking weed.” Yang started to laugh. “It’s always the quiet ones that do the most surprising things.” Yang said and smiled.

“Do you want to try some?” Blake asked and offered her the cigarette.

Yang took it for her and put it to her mouth. She had tried weed before. It wasn’t super amazing to her but she liked it. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. She just never had the extra cash laying around to buy it.

They both took turns breathing it in and blowing out puffs of smoke. They start on the balcony and didn’t speak. They were just enjoying each others presence and looking up at the cloudy night sky.

“Night time has always been my favorite time. Its so quiet and calming.” Blake said.

“I have always lived the night life to. I feel less controlled. Like I can do whatever I want at night. It’s a freedom thing I guess.” Yang said.

“Freedom is nice.” Blake said. Yang smiled at her. They both stayed outside for awhile.

Yang started to feel tired. “ _I guess the weeds started to get me sleepy.”_ Yang thought to herself. She stood up and stretched. She looked over at Blake who always stood up. Blake was looking at her with golden eyes.

Blake was messing with the fabric of her pjs. Yang looked at her confused. “What’s up Blake? You alright?” Yang asked.

“It has been a long night….I sort of have a favor to ask you.” Blake said.

“Anything.” Yang said.

Blake took a deep breath. She avoided eye contact with Yang when she spoke. “I know logically we are safe because of what Weiss did but I am still slightly worried about Adam somehow getting in. I know that’s irrational but….” Blake said and her cheeks started to turn faintly red.

Yang gave her a warm smile. “Blake do you want to sleep in my room with me?” Yang asked.

“If you are okay with it…” Blake said.

“Of course I am! Have you seen these rich people beds! They are huge! I have never slept in a king sized bed before but theres plenty of room for two! Plus it seems very cold here. I know Weiss is snow themed with all those snowflakes but I feel like her family doesn’t believe in using a heater!” Yang said as an attempt to lighten the mood with a joke.

“Thank you Yang. But doesn’t your semblance always keep you warm?” Blake questioned.

This time Yang’s cheeks turned rosey red. “Well yeah but I was sort of thinking about you. I don’t want you getting cold.” Yang explained.

Blake blushed. “Oh. Well thank you.” Blake said.

Yang opened up the sliding glass door to her room and held it open for Blake to walk in first. “Let’s get some sleep, kitty.” Yang said with a smile. They both walked in Yang’s room and got under the giant beds covers. It didn’t take long for Blake to rest her head on Yang’s shoulder and for her breathing to become soft. Blake fell asleep.

“ _Yeah. I would definitely do anything for her. I just wish I could stay like we are now forever.”_ Yang thought and closed her eyes.

**POV Ruby and Weiss**

Ruby and Weiss went up another flight of stairs to the floor where Weiss lived on. Weiss eyed a few doors until she decided on what room Ruby could live in and stopped in front of it.

“This room should be fine.” Weiss said and opened the door for Ruby. Ruby looked into the room and her eyes went wide and she froze in the doorway.

The room was probably larger then the whole first floor of the cabin she lived in. One side of the room had a huge HD tv on the wall that was taller then her. It had speakers surrounding it. There were selves surrounding the tv. There was a couch in front of the tv. A floral carpet covered the ground. The bed in the room was a king sized bed. The room was decorated with floral paintings and artifacts that Weiss’s family acquired from around the world.

Weiss looked at Ruby with a confused face. “What is it?” Weiss asked her.

“This room is huge Weiss. Are you sure it is okay if I stay here?” Ruby asked.

“Yes Ruby. It is fine.” Weiss simply said.

“But what if I break something or make it messy or something!” Ruby said. She was getting tense and nervous.

Weiss put a hand on Ruby’s shoulder and made Ruby look into her eyes. She had a calm and stern facial expression. “Ruby Rose I trust you. Do not worry. I know you are messy. Just relax.” Weiss said.

Ruby took a deep breath and felt more relaxed. Weiss gave her a small smile. “Good. Your room has its own private bathroom. Let me know if you need any fresh towels or anything.” Weiss said and started to walk to her own bedroom.

“I have my own bathroom?! What!” Ruby exclaimed.

“Ruby Rose, I swear to God. You are such a dolt.” Weiss said and went to her room and closed the door behind her.

**POV Ruby**

Ruby walked into the bedroom and closed the door behind her. She put her backpack on the couch and sat down next to it. She looked around the room again and was still trying to take it all in. It still felt like a dream. One thing stood out to Ruby the most though.

The house was huge. Each room alone was huge. The problem was how empty it was of live. It wasn’t a colorful building. It was white, black, and grey. It was full of material values but not life. It was lonely. She could see why Weiss felt lonely here. She had this huge house all to herself. Of course she would feel this way. Now she understood first hand why Weiss always wanted to stay at her house and not here.

Ruby picked up the remote and turned it on. “Wow. I didn’t even know some of these channels existed. They have channels for already existing channels but they have slightly better image quality? This is insane.” Ruby said.

Ruby opened up she backpack and started digging through it. She decided it was a good time to add to her journal. Yang had suggested to her to write in a journal. She could write anything. How she felt about people, herself, her life, what was happening, her feelings, or basically anything she wanted.

She wrote a small addition to the journal about learning about Blake and Adam and how they had to quickly leave the cabin and how they were currently at Weiss’s house. She added a small addition about the Wolf man harassing her and turning her ears and how Blake would teach her how to control it.

Some days her journal entries were short and simple. Some days they were very dark and depressing. Writing did help Ruby though. She was glad Yang suggested it. She liked going back and reading over some of her writing and remember that memory or see how she has changed since then.

When she was done writing she closed the journal and left it on the couch. Ruby put on some late night cartoons and decided to explore her room. “ _I wonder how nice the bathroom looks.”_ Ruby thought. She stood up and walked to the door leading to the bathroom. She opened the door and the shockwave she felt when Weiss opened the bedroom door appeared again.

The bathroom was covered in marble counters and floors. There was a shower and a bathtub. The bathtub had jets installed. There were selves of various hair and body products. One bottle probably cost easily over 100$. Ruby sighed.

She eyed a bottle of bubble bath and picked it up. “ _I could use a warm bubble bath.”_ Ruby thought and started up the water. She carefully poured some of the bubble bath into the tub and waited for it to fill.

She took off her PJS and put it on the countertop before getting into the water. She sighed in pleasure. “ _This feels nice.”_ Ruby thought to herself.

**POV Weiss**

Weiss decided to grab a few towels and give them to Ruby before she went to bed. She wasn’t sure if the bathroom had any and she didn’t know what time Ruby usually took her showers.

She went up to Ruby’s door and knocked. She waited for an answer but did not get any. She knocked again and called out. “Ruby it’s me. I brought some towels.” Weiss called out. She still did not get an answer.

“ _She must be asleep. She is a heavy sleeper.”_ Weiss said.

“I’m coming in Ruby.” Weiss called out and opened the door.

Weiss looked inside and did not see Ruby. She looked around the room. Ruby’s shoes were tossed on the floor and Weiss found her backpack on the couch. Cartoons were playing and the tv was the only thing that lit up the dark room.

Weiss walked over to a lap and turned it on to brighten the room. She walked over to the couch and picked up the remote and turned off the tv. She saw some articles of clothes tossed out of her backpack and sighed. She folded them and placed them in a dresser drawer. She didn’t want to unpack all of Ruby’s stuff because that was an invasion of privacy. She would ask Ruby if she wanted help unpacking the rest tomorrow.

Weiss noticed the small notebook laying on the couch and saw the titled. It said “Ruby’s Thoughts” in red crayon. “ _Is this her private diary?”_ Weiss thought.

She fought with herself for a moment about whether she should open it or not. Part of her was curious about what Ruby wrote about. If Ruby wrote about her. What Ruby thought about her. Another part of Weiss told her not to open it because it was Ruby’s private journal and that was an invasion of privacy.

She took a deep breath and picked up the journal. She opened in up to a random page and read it. It was a short addition that day. Weiss felt her heart sink and her hands started to shake. All it said was “I WANT TO DIE.” In black pen. It covered the whole page. The date was not that long ago. It was around the time she had first met Ruby.

“ _Why….”_ Weiss thought. She wanted to help Ruby. She wanted to understand what caused her to write this. It scared her. She didn’t want Ruby to die. She felt tears started to form.

She returned to reality when she heard the bathroom door open. She closed the journal and tossed it on the couch. She quickly gave off a false appearance that she was okay and that she did not just see anything in her journal.

Ruby stepped out of the shower in her PJS. Her hair was dripped went. She saw Weiss and smiled. “Hey. What are you doing here? Aren’t you sleepy?” Ruby asked.

“I was just giving you some fresh towels but then I noticed you already made a mess! I can help you unpack tomorrow.” Weiss said.

“Thank you Weiss. You are awesome!.” Ruby said with a smile.

“Ruby you can come to me for anything.” Weiss said.

Ruby smiled again.

“I mean it. Anything at all.” Weiss said and hugged Ruby. Ruby seemed confused but hugged her back. She was too tired to question Weiss’s affection right now.

“Goodnight Ruby.” Weiss said and headed to her room.

“Goodnight Weiss!” Ruby said as she got into her bed.

**POV Yang, Blake, Ruby, and Weiss**

The next morning they all met up on the floor Yang and Blake lived on. Weiss gave them a tour of the castle. She wasn’t able to show them every room because of how large it was but she gave them a run down of what each room and floor had and what was in her castle. She didn’t want any of them to get lost in her house

During the whole tour Yang and Ruby remained shocked after seeing every room. Weiss felt slightly uncomfortable by showing off her wealth. Blake took it all in quietly.

After the tour they decided to eat in the dining hall. They all sat at the large table and Weiss started a fire in the fireplace. A worker approached Weiss and Weiss gave them a food order. She decided not to ask the rest of them what they wanted to eat because they would be looking at the menu all day asking her questions about what certain foods were.

The food came out and they started to eat. “So what’s the plan?” Yang asked with a spoon full of food in her mouth.

“About what?” Blake asked.

“Are we just going to hide in here forever? Are we going to school? Should we tell any of our friends at school where we are?” Yang asked.

“I rather not fall behind in my stories. I saw we should go to school and then come immediately here. I can arrange for us to have a driver take us from here to school.” Weiss said.

“Adam wouldn’t attack us in public. He is smarter then that. We would be safe at school. I like the idea of a private driver.” Blake said.

“But what about taking him down? We can’t just hide in here for the rest of our lives. I will feel like a caged animal. Maybe I should text dad or uncle Qrow for help.” Yang said.

“They are probably busy with work. We don’t exactly live close to them anymore. I don’t want to bother them with this.” Ruby said.

Yang sighed. “We have to come up with a game plan eventually.” Yang said in defeat. She obviously wasn’t going to get an answer today.

Yang got up and started to walk away. She didn’t want to look annoyed in front of the others. It was very clear to them all that she was though. Blake got up and started to follow her.

“Where are you going?” Blake asked.

“I’m going to go explore this castle since we will be stuck here awhile.” Yang said and rushed out.

Ruby went to comfort Blake. “I’m sorry. She means well. She is very worried about you. She just likes taking action and hates sitting around and feeling useless. She has always been this headstrong.” Ruby explained.

“I know and I’m glad she cares so much. I understand how she feels. I don’t like not knowing what to do either.” Blake said with a sigh.

Weiss got up and started heading upstairs. “I’m going to go work on some of my studies and then practice on my vocals. There should be stuff to keep you guys entertained.” Weiss said and disappeared.

Now it was just Blake and Ruby alone in the dining hall. Ruby didn’t really have any plans for the day and Blake was probably just going to take a cat nap. Blake looked down at Ruby who was fidgeting nervously.

“What is it Ruby?” Blake asked.

“I was thinking since everyone is busy well…I mean if you are not doing anything maybe we could start our lesson on my wolf powers?” Ruby asked.

“Sure that sounds fun. I think the garden in Weiss’s backyard looked like a good location to practice. It was well covered so no one will see what we are doing in daylight.” Blake said.

Ruby lightened up and they both headed to the garden. Ruby was very excited because she would finally start to figure out how to control some of her powers.

They got to the garden and Blake surprised Ruby by pulling out her weapon. “We will start with fighting each other. I want to see your fighting style and semblance.” Blake said.

“Alright I guess so.” Ruby said and pulled got Crimson Rose.

**Yang POV**

Yang found the gym inside of Weiss’s home and was practicing kickboxing and weight training. She had worked up a good sweat. She always exercised when she was feeling overwhelmed with emotions or helplessness. It helped get rid of some of the pent up emotions and energy.

She decided to take a break and sat down on a workbench and start drinking some of her bottled water. She looked over at her phone and realized she had a new text message. She must have received it when she was working out.

She reached for her phone and opened it up. It was from Roman. She took a deep breath before looking to see what the message contained.

“Lets meet tomorrow after your classes. Meet at the same location as last time.” The message read.

She replied to the message. “Will we always be meeting at the same place and will times be regular or random?” Yang sent the message.

She got a reply almost instantly. “For now just assume you will be busy for a few hours after school. It won’t seem strange. Its just like having a club meeting. The location will start to vary once your training has picked up and sometimes you will have to meet at night. Do not draw attention Blondie. Anyways take care. Have fun in the money house.” Roman texted her.

Yang knew she shouldn’t be shocked that Roman knew she had moved already but she was. It just proved to her even more that this guy was experienced and good at what he did.

She didn’t like the idea of her working in a gang but she knew she was doing it to protect Blake and that made it worth it.

**POV Blake and Ruby**

Ruby and Blake sat down in the garden after their fight. Ruby was out of breath. Blake handed Ruby a bottle of water and she drank it quickly. “How did I do?” Ruby asked.

“You did fine. I am impressed by your talents for your age. Makes me wonder what kind of messes you and Yang got into before you guys moved.” Blake said with a chuckle.

“Yeah we were always getting into trouble.” Ruby said with a laugh.

“I don’t want to overwhelm you by teaching you and giving you a lot of information at once. I think we should start by just learning about changing parts of the body at a time.” Blake said.

Ruby nodded.

“I told you how to make your ears disappear. The same can be said for making them appear. It is all about the mind. If you imagine or feel the need to have wolf ears then you can make them appear. Same can be said for any trait. This can be useful in a number of ways. Lets say we are somewhere that is completely dark and we cannot see. I can focus on my sight and use my panther eyes to see in the dark.” Blake said.

“That’s so cool! So not all changes are extremely noticeable I guess.” Ruby said.

“That is correct. Some one very noticeable thought. Such as a tail or ears or of course a full transformation. You know whenever you change though that means you are not exactly human anymore. I am not human. I am a faunus but you, Ruby would be considered human. I still am trying to figure out how you got this ability.

This power is controlled by emotions though Ruby. You have to be careful. You could lose control so easily. I know it can be scary but remember to keep a leveled head even in dangerous situations.”

“Thank you Blake!” Ruby said.

“I think I am going to go look for Yang to make sure she is alright.” Blake said and got up.

“I’m going to go to my room for awhile! I can’t believe it is already getting dark out. Daylight is so getting shorter each day.” Ruby said.

Ruby headed to her room and opened the door and went inside. She closed the door behind her. She felt really cold when she realized the window was cracked open. She went over and shut it.

“ _It is really cold. I should put on my red cloaked hoodie.”_ Ruby thought and went over to the dresser to get it. Her eyes went wide and she realized it wasn’t there. She pulled out every article of clothing in search for it. She pulled open every drawer and pulled apart her bed looking for it. Soon the room was a mess and no hood was found.

Ruby felt her body shutter and she started to whimper. She was fighting back transforming into a wolf pup. _“Where is it? That was my mothers. I couldn’t have lost it. I can’t. I need it. It is all I have of her.”_ Ruby thought.

The familiar laugh echoed the bedroom. “Hello little Rose. Did you lose something?” The wolf man asked. He was leaning against the bedroom wall next to the window.

“You are inside of my head. You know exactly what is wrong.” Ruby said.

The man laughed and smirked at her. “Someone is growing balls. You are not afraid of me this time. I know it is because you are upset about the hood. What if I told you I know where it is?” The man asked

“Where is it?” Ruby asked.

The man smirked again and pointed out the window. “Someone left in a hurry and didn’t pack something that important to them? Foolish stupid girl.” The man said.

Ruby ran to the window and opened it and jumped out. She climbed the wall surrounding the castle and started heading into the woods.

**POV Weiss**

Weiss knocked on Ruby’s door and got no answer. “Ruby I am coming in. You really need to start listening for the door. Blake said you were in here.” Weiss said as she opened the door.

Her blue eyes widened when she saw the state of the room. It looked like someone had attacked it. “Ruby?” Weiss called out. She was not in the room. Weiss went to the private bathroom and opened it. Ruby was not there either.

Weiss pulled out her phone and sent Ruby a text. She heard the phone buzz on Ruby’s bed.

Ruby was outside at night in the woods alone with no way to contact anyone. Adam was looking for them and he knew what she looked like. Weiss was scared.

 

 

 


	18. Never Stop Upon Your Way

**AN: Special thanks to AO3 user unLocked_boX for helping proofread my story!**

**Chapter 18**

**Never Stop Upon Your Way**

 

**POV Ruby**

            Ruby was running to the cabin as quickly as she could. She was lucky she had her semblance. It was dark out and it was a peaceful night. The only noise, other than her own feet hitting the ground, was the sound of fallen leaves in the breeze.

“ _You know this is dangerous right? You literally left this house less than 24 hours ago because of some crazy, murderous stalker. Is a piece of fabric really worth it?”_ The man asked Ruby inside her head.

“ _Yes. You have been with me since I could first remember. You know what the cloak means to me.”_ Ruby responded to him.

“ _Yeah, whatever. It’s super important to you. You got it from your mommy before she disappeared. Poor little rose.” The man mocked her and laughed._

She decided not to respond to him. He realized this and decided to keep talking.

“ _You know I’m inside your head right? I can hear all your thoughts. You can’t fool me. I know what you are thinking even before you think it. I wonder how you forgot something so important to you in the first place.”_ The man said.

That’s when Ruby realized he must have somehow distracted her thoughts when she was packing so she would forget about it. She never told Weiss of the cloak’s importance, so of course Weiss wouldn’t know to pack it. Ruby started to feel angry, but tried to remain calm. She had to focus on getting the cloak and getting back to Weiss’s as soon as possible.

“ _You stupid girl. Keep running.”_ The man laughed.

“ _You wanted me to come back to the cabin. Why?_ ” Ruby asked.

“ _In case you forgot Ruby Rose, we are playing a game. A game that you have not been trying to win. I am growing bored. I am giving you a fucking clue. I am literally throwing you at the clue. The cabin is a piece to the puzzle. The cabin is key.”_ He laughed. “ _Besides, I have always been a fan of drama.”_ He said.

“ _In case you forgot, there’s something more urgent than the game. This threat with the White Fang and Adam is happening now. What if they’re at the cabin and attack me? I have my weapon but I am not as strong as Yang. If they outnumber me, what will I do then?”_ Ruby snapped back.

The man laughed some more. “ _This Rose has some thorns! You have a weapon. You have your speed. But you are forgetting one very important thing you have that they don’t know about. Only Yang and Blake know. You have me! Use the beast to fight! Or even better, let me take control of your body! It has been so long since I’ve tasted blood.”_ The man said.

“ _I won’t come to that. I am not letting you control me.”_ Ruby said.

She kept running until the Cabin was in sight. She climbed up a nearby tree and used her weapon’s sniper scope to look inside the windows. It looked empty. She thought it would be better not to take any chances, so she snuck around to the side of the cabin and climbed up the side quickly and quietly.

She got to her bedroom window and carefully opened it and slipped inside. She looked around the room. It looked just like how she had left it. It was crazy to think about how much had happened in just 24 hours. She honestly loved this house, and she hoped that once everything was settled that they would be able to return to it.

She looked over at the chair next to her bed and saw the red hooded cloak. It was just where she had left it before they had rushed to get packed and leave. She picked it up and hugged it to her chest. She was so happy to have it once again. She was scared she had lost it.

She put the cloak on over her clothes and walked over to the rooms mirror and smiled. She had always loved this cloak. Not just because it was her mothers, but also because it made her feel different and unique. It wasn’t like what other people her age wore. She knew people at school stared at her and questioned it, but she didn’t care. She loved the cape. It made her feel like a hero. A hero just like her mother.

Ruby remained in her room and listened to the sounds of the house. It was quiet. It didn’t seem like anyone was in the house, and, by the looks of the area outside, it didn’t look like anyone had tried to break in. Ruby assumed that it must be safe to go throughout the whole house.

She knew it wasn’t a good idea. She had the cape. She should just leave and go back to Weiss’s castle before anyone noticed she was gone. Ruby reached in her pants pocket to get her phone and check the time.

That is when she noticed she didn’t bring the phone with her. She really hoped no one had gone looking for her since she had left.

Ruby headed to the window and was about to leave when an idea popped into her head. They had left in such a hurry before, that she hadn’t had time to grab her Xbox and games. She might as well grab them now since no one was in the cabin and she was already here. It wouldn’t do any harm and would only take a few moments.

Ruby opened the door to her bedroom and peaked around the hallway. It was dark and quiet. No signs of movement. She was safe. She walked out of her room and headed to the stairs. She tiptoed down the stairs and looked into the living room. It was pitch black but still she saw no movement and heard no sounds.

She walked over to the TV and unplugged the Xbox. She was about to pick up all the games, controllers, and wires but stopped when she heard a sound. It wasn’t quite a laugh but it was close to one. Ruby froze in place.

“Hello Ruby Rose. I am so glad to see you again.” The voice said.

**POV Weiss**

It had been over an hour since Weiss discovered Ruby was missing. Weiss decided she couldn’t have gotten lost in the castle because she would have heard or found some trace of her by now. The girl was fast, but even though she acted immature, Weiss knew she was very observant and sharp.

She was worried that Ruby had left the castle grounds and was hurt and alone somewhere. She might even be dead. Weiss sighed. She was hoping she wasn’t being irrational and overreacting. “ _I guess I really care about that girl.”_ Weiss thought. That should have been clear by now, but Weiss was still getting used to the fact that she had someone like Ruby in her life.

She was pacing back and forth in the great library. She was deep in thought, going over different scenarios in her head about where Ruby was. “ _Maybe the dolt just fell asleep on a couch somewhere. That wouldn’t be surprising.”_ Weiss thought.

Blake and Yang entered the library and watched Weiss pace. Blake looked at Yang and raised an eyebrow. Yang smiled and crossed her arms. They kept watching Weiss pace until Yang finally decided to snap Weiss back to reality.

“Hey, Weiss. What are you doing?” Yang asked in a cheeky tone.

Weiss stopped pacing and looked at Yang and Blake. “ _How long have they been here?”_ Weiss thought.

“I am currently taking a study break. I needed to walk since I have been sitting at my desk for so long.” Weiss said.

“Want to watch TV or something? Studying for hours nonstop isn’t healthy.” Yang said.

“ _Even though she is wild and loud, she really is caring. She’s like a mom-friend. I don’t want to tell her about Ruby yet. She would flip out and go looking for her, and that would put her in danger. Maybe I can talk to Blake…She is rational. Maybe she can tell me if I‘m overreacting or not. She is quiet too, and I doubt she would tell Yang something if I asked her to keep it between us.”_ Weiss thought.

“Thanks, but I am fine. Yang do you think you could go tell one of the butlers what we are having for dinner? I think one of them is in the kitchen.” Weiss asked.

“I can pick the meal tonight. Righteous.” Yang said and left the room.

“ _That was easier than I thought it would be.”_ Weiss sighed

Blake looked at her and raised her eyebrow. “Okay, what’s up Weiss? You have been acting strange.” Blake stated.

Weiss sat down on a couch and patted the spot next to her. Blake walked over and sat down next to her. “I need to tell you something…I need advice. You seem so level headed.” Weiss said.

“What is wrong, Weiss? I’m all ears.” Blake said with a slight smile.

“Before I tell you, you have to promise me that you won’t tell Yang. I don’t want her to worry. I am probably just overthinking the whole situation.” Weiss said.

Blake put her hand on Weiss’s shoulder and looked into her ice blue eyes. “Weiss, I promise that this conversation will stay between us.” Blake said with a serious expression.

“Thank you. I went to check on Ruby over an hour ago, and she wasn’t in her room. Her room was a mess. Clothes were scattered everywhere. The sheets pulled off the bed. The window was wide open. I tried to text her but she left her phone. I thought maybe she just wandered around the castle but that doesn’t explain the mess. It is dark out, and I know that a dangerous man is looking for us. If she left the castle grounds, then she might be attacked. I’m not sure where she is. Maybe I am just overreacting.” Weiss said.

“ _Maybe Ruby turned into a wolf pup again, and she is off hiding somewhere in the castle until she changes back. Ruby hasn’t told Weiss yet, so I can’t say that. Ruby has to tell Weiss when the time is right.”_ Blake thought.

Blake thought for a moment before responding to Weiss. “Weiss I do not think you are overreacting. Honestly, I find it incredibly sweet that you are worried. Ruby is small and young, but she is tough. Yang and Ruby had to be tough because of the life they have had. Even if she is outside, she brought her weapon. She never leaves without it. Knowing Ruby though, she probably just went somewhere in the castle and fell asleep.

“I do think you should get some sleep though. It is getting late and we have classes tomorrow. You have been working all night and you need to rest. It’s not healthy for you to overwork yourself.” Blake smiled at Weiss.

Weiss looked at Blake and debated what she wanted to say next. She wanted to keep talking to her about how worried she was and what dangers could be out there, but she was tired and Blake was right. She did overwork herself, and she did need a good night’s sleep. They were a rare thing to come by recently.

She sighed. “You’re right. Thank you, Blake.” Weiss said and stood up.

“No problem, Weiss. Don’t worry. Ruby will be here in the morning, and you will see that everything is fine.” Blake said and stood up. She was heading to the direction Yang had gone.

Weiss started to walk to her room. Blake said one last thing before Weiss left the room. “I won’t tell Yang, but if Ruby is still missing tomorrow I will help you look for her. I am a faunus after all. I know your family doesn’t like our kind but I do have great tracking skills.” Blake said.

“Thank you.” Weiss said and headed to bed.

She went to her bedroom and got into her nightgown. She lay in bed and turned her body so that she was facing the windows and looked outside at the night sky. Weiss couldn’t get the idea out of her head. If Ruby was outside, she hoped she was safe. She really hoped she didn’t leave the castle grounds.

Weiss had trouble sleeping that night. She didn’t fall asleep for a few hours. She just laid there daydreaming. When she finally fell asleep, Ruby was still on her mind. She only had a few hours of sleep before she had to get up for classes in the morning.

**POV Ruby**

Ruby looked over at the shadow that spoke to her. It had a deep and familiar voice. It sounded like a man. She thought to herself, trying to remember who the voice belonged to. The man chuckled at her confusion.

“You don’t remember who I am, dear? Let me shine some light on the situation. Maybe that will help you remember.” The man said. He reached over to a lamp and pulled the string and the room brightened slightly.

The figure that sat in front of her suddenly became familiar. Adam was sitting in front of her on the couch. He was wearing tight fitting black clothing that showed off his slender, but muscular, figure. Even as he was sitting, it was very clear how tall he was. His green eyes glowed in the dimly lit room. His hair was in the same familiar style from when they had previously met. Ruby didn’t notice before, but he had freckles dotting his nose and upper cheek bones. They were light and almost unnoticeable.

He smiled at her calmly. Nothing about the man showed any signs of anger or aggression. She didn’t let his appearance trick her though. She never had a good feeling about the man, even when she knew him as “Alex”.

Ruby reached for her weapon, which rested on her side under her cloak. Adam chuckled again. She looked at him with a confused expression. “No need to fight me. I do not want to fight right now. If I wanted you dead, I would have killed you by now. I don’t think you kids understand how high above you I am. I was hoping we could just chat. I am a gentleman after all. It would be very rude of me if I just attacked you. I am not like most men here, who are just wild beasts. I have manners.” Adam said to her.

Ruby’s hand stayed on her weapon at her side. She wasn’t going to let her guard down. She didn’t trust him, and she knew she wasn’t in a position to run away. “Okay. What did you want to talk about?” Ruby asked in a stern tone. She was trying to look tough, even though, on the inside, she was scared.

“You know what I find quite annoying?” Adam asked her.

“What?” Ruby asked.

He reached for a cup and sipped some tea before continuing. “I absolutely hate it when someone steals something that is clearly mine. It is very rude. I noticed Blake started to act strange a few weeks ago, and then I had to leave for a mission and received no contact from her. People who worked for me said some blonde **slut** was getting very close with Blake. Then I come back from my mission, and you know what I find?” Adam asked. His tone remained calm.

“What?” Ruby said. She saw his body become tenser, which caused her to tense up as well.

“I find an empty room and all her stuff gone from my house. I decided to look around for her and found out she was going to a party. When I went to the party, I saw that slut dancing with my dear Blake. I find out that my darling brought all her stuff here, to this cabin.” Adam said.

“She decided to move. She didn’t want to be with you anymore. You were hurting her.” Ruby said. She tried to act tough.

Adam laughed. He broke the teacup in his hand and the glass cracked.

“Blake is mine. She might have left my house, but she hasn’t left me. I have done more for that ungrateful bitch than anyone will ever know. She would be nothing without me. I have tried acting polite, but my patience is wearing thin. Your sister might think that she is close with Blake, but she doesn’t know about her dark side. She doesn’t know about what Blake has done. I saw it firsthand. Your sister would be terrified. Your sister might think she is close with Blake, but she will never be as close as I was with her. Blake is mine, and I want her back.” Adam stood and towered over Ruby. His voice was becoming more aggressive the more he spoke.

Ruby remained in her spot and looked at up him. “Blake isn’t property, and you know nothing about my sister. The past is the past. Blake is our friend, and I will defend her and my sister. Don’t you dare insult either of them and don’t say Blake is yours. She is her own person and she can do whatever she wants.” Ruby said.

Adam looked down at Ruby. He looked into her grey eyes and smirked. “You are a very interesting kid, you know that? When we met at the party I knew you and Weiss knew Blake and Yang. The original plan was to become very close friends with you and Weiss, maybe even fuck you guys for fun, but I immediately got the impression from you that you did not want to be friends. You did not trust me from the start. Why is that?” Adam asked her.

“I could sense the monster inside of you.” Ruby stated.

Adam laughed and sat back down. “You are very interesting kid. I saw how you looked at me at the party and the video store. Those grey eyes of yours studied everything about me: my body language, my voice, my appearance, everything. You held onto Weiss like you were protecting her from some creep. It was like some jealous grade school boy protecting his girlfriend from any unwanted attention from the opposite sex because they might fall in love with her. I wouldn’t blame the white haired girl though. I know I am attractive and have good manners, and bed side manners, in fact. I only want Blake though, so you had nothing to fear other than maybe a little fun. I was actually slightly offended, but I like a challenge. It made me want to talk to you some more, but whenever you were in public you were with her. When I look into your eyes, do you know what I see Ruby?” Adam asked.

“What?” Ruby asked.

“I see someone who is tough and strong, but I also see someone who is hiding something from the world. I am not sure what you are hiding, but any interesting person does have a few skeletons in their closets. You should see my collection.” Adam said with a laugh before he continued.

“I see someone to whom life has not been gentle. I see someone who keeps moving no matter what. Someone who doesn’t believe in loss. I see some of myself in you,” Adam said with a smile.

“I am nothing like you,” Ruby said in a harsh tone.

“You are more like me then you know Ruby. It’s sad you are still optimistic and weak though. You have so much potential. It’s too bad the world doesn’t wait for weak people,” Adam said.

“What are you going to do to me? Are you going to try to get Blake by using me?” Ruby asked.

“I said I just wanted to talk, and I am a man to my word. I don’t capture people to lure others out. I get them myself. I get everything I want Ruby. I do not want you. You are useless. You are worthless to me,” Adam said.

“Then I want to go now.” Ruby said.

Adam stood up again and looked down at Ruby. Ruby kept a calm face and didn’t move. “I can see right through you. You act tough, but inside your head is screaming for you to run away. I can hear your heart racing. Don’t try to act like you’re tough around me. You’re not. You are nothing compared to me.” Adam said.

He bent over and picked up Ruby’s gaming console, games, and controllers and placed them in a bag. He handed the bag to Ruby. He patted Ruby’s head and led her to the door.

“Now why don’t you go run back to whatever hole you and your buddies are hiding in. Be safe out there.” Adam said and held the door open for Ruby.

Ruby walked outside and started walking forward. She got past the garden gate and kept walking. She looked behind her and Adam was in the doorway waving at her. She decided to walk faster.

Once she was out of sight, Adam’s face changed from a smile to a glare. A man appeared behind him in the doorway. The man was shorter than Adam and had tanned brown skin. He wore a white, grey, and black suit that had armor covering his forearms, chest, and legs. He wore an animal mask, and his chest armor showed the symbol of the white fang. He held a sharp sword in his hand.

“Kill her.” Adam stated. The man nodded and ran into the woods after Ruby.

Ruby was far from the cabin and was speed walking to Weiss’s. She was debating not going back though, because she knew Adam would track her and find out where she lived. She decided to just head into town and go somewhere very public until the morning.

Ruby stopped when she heard footsteps behind her and the sound of fallen leaves rustling. She looked around her and saw nothing. She decided this was a good time to use the skills Blake had taught her. She changed her eyes to wolf eyes to see better in the dark.

Suddenly a man lunged at her. She moved to the side and the blade of the man’s sword barely missed her. When she moved out of the way she dropped her bag.

“Who are you? What do you want?” Ruby called to him.

The man said nothing and came at Ruby again. Ruby dodged each swing of the blade and reached for her weapon. She pulled out her scythe and it grew to its normal size.

It was very clear to Ruby who this man was. The symbol made it clear that he was part of the gang called the White Fang that Blake was a part of in her past. Adam worked for the White Fang and was high ranked. He must have sent this man here to kill her. She wasn’t going to let that happen.

“I don’t want to fight you. Please just go.” Ruby called out.

The man ignored her and attacked her again. He was growing faster with each attack, but Ruby had her semblance and no one could match her speed. She used her wolf eyes to see every move the man made. She easily moved out of the way.

The man swung and she blocked the sword using her scythe. The man kept pushing the sword against her weapon with force. Ruby wasn’t strong like her sister and began to struggle. The kneed her in the stomach and she coughed. He pulled out a dagger from his pocket and swung it at Ruby. Ruby struggled to move out of the way and the dagger sliced into her stomach. She began to bleed.

It wasn’t a deep or life threatening cut, but Ruby was already out of breath from the kick to the stomach. She struggled to regain her stance. “Please stop,” Ruby begged. The man laughed and ran at her again with his sword.

This time Ruby stopped acting defensively and swung her scythe at him. The man’s chest armor shattered and his sword dropped next to Ruby. The man growled and came at Ruby again with his dagger. Ruby rolled on the ground to dodge the attack and picked up the man’s sword.

He came at her again with his dagger and Ruby screamed. That moment became slower in time. She pointed the sword in front of her to stop the man. The man ran straight into the blade and it went through his chest. Ruby saw the man scream and then go into shock. His body became limp and lifeless. His eyes darkened. Blood dripped down the blade and covered Ruby’s hands. Blood splattered onto her body and face.

She removed the man from the blade, and he fell onto the ground. He was dead. He dropped the blade next to him. She was stunned. She couldn’t believe what just happened. It had to be a dream.

The wolf man appeared and stood over the man’s body and looked down at it. He looked up at stared at Ruby. She was shaking and a mix of a number of emotions appeared of her face.

“Ruby you just killed a man. We’d better hide the evidence before someone sees.” The man said to her.

Ruby saw her vision slowly becoming fuzzy and black. She could feel her body falling. She fell over and everything went black before she even hit the ground.

 


	19. Lost

**Chapter 19**

**Lost**

**POV Weiss**

            Weiss woke up the next morning. She dragged herself out of bed and headed toward her bathroom. She took a warm shower and then did her hair. She put on an outfit for the day and looked at herself in the mirror. She frowned at her reflection.

            She had huge, dark bags under her eyes. Her blue eyes looked cold and dead. Weiss believed that the eyes were windows into a person’s soul. It was how she looked at someone and read what kind of person they truly were. Her eyes reflected how she was feeling. She felt dead. She had trouble sleeping that night and now felt emotionally and physically drained.

            She took a deep sigh. The day had not even started yet. She was hoping she would leave her room and find Ruby in the dining room eating breakfast. All she wanted was to be greeted with that goofy grin and high pitched, nasally voice. It had been less than a da,y but she missed Ruby. She was worried.

            Her whole night was a list of scenarios going on in her mind of what kind of situation Ruby could have been in. Was she being irrational? Maybe. Was she overreacting? It was a possibility. It was frustrating. She usually thought so logically. She could always analyze a situation and come to a level headed conclusion.

            For some reason she couldn’t do that with Ruby. She didn’t know why, but it drove her insane.

            She placed her notebooks and folders into her messenger bag, and picked a light blue jacket out of her closet to wear for the day. She opened her door and headed downstairs to the dining hall to meet the others, and hopefully Ruby, for breakfast.

            When she made it downstairs, she was greeted by Yang and Blake. Blake was sitting quietly next to Yang, watching the blonde shove spoonfuls of cereal into her mouth while she was telling Blake a story about some past adventure she had been on.

            Yang saw Weiss and smiled and waved at her. Weiss walked over to them and sat down, picking up two slices of toast to eat.

“Hey Weiss! How are you today?” Yang said with a smile.

            “I’m doing alright,” Weiss replied simply.

            Yang turned and faced Weiss and stared at her intensely. It made Weiss feel uncomfortable. Yang started to make a humming noise. Weiss frowned and scrunched up her eyebrows.

“What?” Weiss asked.

            “You feeling alright? It doesn’t look like you slept very well last night. You look  much paler than you usually do,” Yang said.

            _“Yang is more observant than I thought,”_ Weiss thought.

            “I’m fine. I just was up a bit too late because of my studies,” Weiss stated.

            “You should take a nap after school! Naps always energize me,” Yang said with a smile.

            Yang looked over at the grandfather clock. “It’s almost time to head to school.  Ruby still isn’t awake yet? That girl always sleeps through her alarm. I’ll go wake her up,” Yang said and started to sit up.

            Blake put her hand on Yang’s shoulder and stopped her. Yang looked over at Blake with a confused expression.

            “Ruby wasn’t feeling well last night. She had a fever and I gave her some medicine. I told her she should stay in bed today. Rest is the best way to recover from an illness,” Blake said.

            Yang looked at Blake for a moment. It looked like she was thinking. Weiss tensed up. “ _I hope she believes Blake’s lie,”_ Weiss thought.

            Yang’s expression relaxed and she nodded her head. “That makes sense. We did run her in the rain earlier. She wasn’t wearing her cloak and it’s cold outside. It is flu season. I hope my baby sis feels better soon,” Yang said.

            Weiss relaxed and glanced over at Blake. “ _Thank you,”_ She thought and hoped Blake could understand what she was thinking. Luckily, she seemed to and gave Weiss a slight nod.

            “How about we start heading to class?” Blake suggested and stood up.

            Yang got up after her. “Sounds like a plan.” Yang said.

            Weiss quietly got up and followed them. They all left Weiss’s castle and headed into the woods toward town. Weiss was not looking forward to class now that she knew Ruby was still missing.

**POV Weiss, Blake, and Yang after classes**

            Weiss, Blake, and Yang met in front of the school once classes ended. Yang was smiling when she greeted Weiss. “Hey, Weiss! How was class?” Yang asked.

            “It was okay. I got notes for Ruby so I can help her not to fall behind.” Weiss said.

            “That’s so sweet of you Weiss!” Yang teased with a grin.

            “I guess so,” Weiss said.

            They started heading off the school grounds, but Yang stopped. Blake and Weiss looked at her in confusion. “You guys go ahead! I actually have to stay after school. There’s a meeting for a club I joined,” Yang said with a smile.

            “Alright. Be careful when you come back,” Blake said and started to walk again.

            “If you need a ride to my castle call me. I can have my one my family’s workers come pick you up,” Weiss said and started to follow Blake.

            “I’ll be fine! Thank you for the concern, guys. Weiss, you better take a nap when you get back home! You still look really pale,” Yang said and started to jog toward the school.

            Once Blake and Weiss were out of viewing distance she took a deep breath. She headed to the woods toward the nightclub to meet Roman for her first training session. She had no idea what to suspect.

            **POV Blake and Weiss.**

            The walk to Weiss’s castle was a quiet one. Neither of them could hold a solid conversation. They made small talk, but even that died out quickly. Blake knew Weiss wasn’t feel well and wasn’t in a very talkative mood.

            The school day had felt like it was five times longer than it usually was. Weiss spent most of the time just staring at the clock and waiting for class to end. She skipped lunch. She felt sick to her stomach. She couldn’t stop thinking about what could have happened to Ruby.

            Blake spoke up. “Weiss, Yang was right. You really should rest when we get back. You’re making yourself sick. I understand why you are worried, but it will be okay in the end, I promise. Ruby is strong. She hasn’t had an easy life, but that made her stronger. Have some faith that everything will be alright,” Blake said.

            Weiss stayed quiet and continued to walk.  She avoided all eye contact with Blake. The did not speak for the rest of the trip back. When they got to the castle, Weiss immediately headed upstairs into her room.

Blake watched her leave and sighed. She didn’t want to admit it to Weiss, but she was worried about Ruby as well. She was also worried about what would happen if Yang found out Ruby was missing. She didn’t want Yang going out and looking for her and getting hurt.

            Once Weiss got into her room and shut the door, she put her messenger bag on her bed and went into her closet. She picked up her weapon and the belt she used to hold it on her hip. She opened her window and climbed down to the ground. She made sure the coast was clear and headed out the front gate and into the woods.

            She was going to look for Ruby since no one else would. She knew it was dangerous, but she didn’t care. She needed to make sure Ruby was okay. She needed Ruby to be back.

**POV Yang**

            Yang arrived at the nightclub as quickly as she could. She had no idea what kind of training Roman had planned for her, but she was ready to do anything to become stronger. The outside of the building looked different to her. It looked cleaner and more like a warehouse than an old, abandoned building. It looked like a fresh coat of black paint was added, and all the mess was cleaned up. She could hear music playing inside the building the closer she got to it.

            When she got to the front entrance the doors opened automatically.  When she entered, she was surprised by what she saw. The place was completely different. The whole place had been repaired, and there was no trace of what it looked like only a few days earlier. The place was filled with men wearing black suits and hats with a red ties and sunglasses. A DJ was playing music, and the LED floor and light fixtures were changing in time with the music. The DJ looked like a bear faunus. Yang had never seen a bear faunus before.

            When she walked into the club, every man turned and looked at her. They all pulled out a gun from their pocket and aimed it at her. She stood there in confusion for a moment, but realized they were not much of a threat since none of them had a semblance.

            She gave them a grin. “Hello. What’s up?” Yang said.

            “You have a lot of nerve to come into this place, kid. How’d you find it anyways?” Asked one of the thugs.

            Yang shrugged. “I’ve been here before,” Yang stated.

            The thugs looked at each other in confusion for a moment, but kept their guns trained on Yang. A man came out of one of the back rooms and slowly walked up to the group of thugs.  Two girls that looked slightly older than Yang followed behind him. One of them was wearing a white dress, while the other was in a red one. They looked like twins.

            “What is going on here?” The man asked the group of thugs. He had a low and deep voice.

            “And who is she?” the twins said together.

            “I just wanted to stop by and have some fun,” Yang said and laughed.

            The man signaled for the thugs to put down their weapons. They obeyed his orders and scattered, returning to what they had been doing before Yang had entered the club.

            The man approached Yang. Yang was a tall person, but compared to this guy she felt so small. He towered over her. He was large and looked muscular. He wore a similar suit to the thugs, but he did not have shades on, or a jacket. He was cleanly shaved and had short black hair. He adjusted his tie before speaking again.

            “Who are you blondie? How did you find out about this place and why are you here?” The man asked.

            “Isn’t it considered polite to introduce yourself first? I simply come into this building, and a group of men just start pointing guns at me. That doesn’t seem like great business practice,” Yang said.

            The man sighed. “My name is Junior, and I own this place. This isn’t some ordinary business either young lady,” Junior told her. “What are you doing here?” He asked her again.

            “My name is Yang, and I was told to meet someone here,” Yang said.

            “No one is here, but me and my men,” Junior told her.

            Yang put her hands on her hip and looked up at him. She raised an eyebrow. “I don’t believe you. Can we stop playing games Junior? We are wasting each others time,” Yang said.

            Junior glared down at her. A side door near the bar opened, and Yang saw a familiar orange haired man with a cane. He smirked and made his way over to both of them. “Hey blondie! You like what we did to the place? I see you met my pal, Junior,” Roman said and patted Junior on the back. Junior let out a deep sigh.

            “How about we go to the back room and chat a little bit before we begin. I have someone I would like you to meet,” Roman said with a smile.

            Roman started walking toward a door near the bar. Yang followed him. It was black and blended in with the dark walls of the club. He smiled at her, and then grabbed the doorknob and opened the door. He held it open for Yang and gestured for her to go inside.

            “After you,” Roman said.

            Yang felt butterflies in her stomach as she walked into the unknown room. Once she was inside the room, she looked around. It wasn’t a very large room. It had  only a couch and a few leather chairs.

            She noticed a boy leaning against one of the walls of the room. He had spiked gray hair. Yang couldn’t tell if it was naturally gray or if it was dyed. The boy looked around her age. He wore black boots, black skinny jeans, and a jacket that matched the color of his hair.

            “It’s about time. I hate waiting. This whole situation is such a pain,” The boy said in a cocky tone.

            Roman followed Yang into the room and closed the door behind him. He sighed and sat his cane down against the side of the couch and then he sat down on the couch. “Settle down pretty boy. You haven’t even been waiting for that long,” Roman said.

            Roman gestured for Yang to sit down. She sat down on one of the leather chairs and waited for someone to speak. “Whatever. Let’s get on with this,” The boy said.

            “Where are your manners, Mercury? We’re all friends here. Yang is a new addition to our happy family!” Roman said.

            “Family? It’s a very dysfunctional family,” Mercury muttered under his breath.

            Roman rolled his eyes and looked at Yang. “I am sorry about Mercury. He has a huge ego. Once you get to know him you realize how much of a hard ass he is,” Roman said.

            Mercury huffed and pushed off the wall. “Okay, let’s get this introduction over with. My name is Mercury Black. I am one of the team members of this group. I don’t like people. I do what I have to do in order to survive. I enjoy what I do. You will meet the other ones over time. Roman hasn’t told me anything about you, the situation you’re in, or how he even found you. You don’t look like the kind of person we usually work with,” Mercury said.

            “My name is Yang. I moved to this town a few weeks ago, and I’m not like you guys. I’m not a bad person. I need help though. I need to get stronger. Roman said he would help,” Yang said.

            Mercury chuckled and looked at Roman. “She wants help from us and she denies being bad? This is hilarious,” Mercury said.

            “I don’t want you staying to long, so here is the plan: today will just be some hand to hand combat. I will want to see you almost every day, Yang, and I will help you become stronger. Today you will be fighting Mercury. In a way, he is very similar to you when it comes to fighting. You both have semblances that help you physically. You both are very physical in combat. There are so many types of fighting styles and semblances. I won’t lecture you about it too much today. That’ll be for another time. I want to see you fight a little more. I want to see what style you take and your weaknesses. I will be watching you guys fight, and tomorrow we can talk about improvement.

            “Mercury might fight physically like you, but he does have a different fighting style. You seem to like fighting with your fists, as I can tell from your weapon, while Mercury likes kicking,” Roman said.

            Mercury sighed loudly. “Can we stop talking and just fight?” He asked.

            “Alright, fine. Kids these days. They can’t sit down and listen for a few minutes,” Roman said.

            Roman picked up his came and got off the couch. Yang and Mercury followed him. Roman opened the door and they were back in the main room of the night club. He waved at Junior, who sighed and signaled for his grunts to leave the dance floor and for the DJ to stop playing.

            “You will use the dance floor as a fighting arena. Anything goes. Just don’t kill each other,” Roman said.

            Mercury grinned. “I can’t make any promises,” he said and put his hands in his pocket as he walked to the dance floor.

            Yang followed him and stood on the opposite side of the floor and faced him. She got her weapons ready and stood in a fighting stance. Mercury stayed relaxed while smirking at her. It drove Yang mad.

            “Alright. Began,” Roman called out. Yang charged at Mercury while yelling.

**POV Weiss**

            Weiss had been searching the woods for clues for about 30 minutes. She decided to walk to the cabin to look for Ruby. She knew it was dangerous and a horrible idea, but she didn’t care.

            She was walking on the trail toward Ruby’s cabin when, she saw something ahead of her on the trail. She ran ahead to see what it was. When she got to the items, her heart jumped. It was a bag on the ground. Video game controllers, games, and the console were coming out of the bag. The console had broken somehow. Either from the impact of being dropped or some other source, she couldn’t tel;. The game discs were shattered and broken.

            Weiss knew this was Ruby’s stuff. She recognized some of the games. She looked around the area for more clues, and that’s when she saw it. The dirt of the trail near the games looked moved. There was a small hint of blood on the dirt, but it looked like it was rubbed in. There had been some sort of fight.

            Weiss kept looking and saw a tree near the trail. A line of blood was on the tree. A small pool of blood rested under the tree. More random pools of blood scattered the area.

            Weiss kept her heart sink. “Is this Ruby’s blood? What happened? Is she okay?” Weiss asked herself out loud.

            “Ruby!” She called out. She got no answer. She called out again and got no answer. She fell on her knees near the game of games and screamed. She started punching the ground and the bag. She heard the contents of the bag break into smaller pieces.

            She was breathing hard but knew she couldn’t give up yet, not until she found a body. She calmed her breathing down and stood up. She brushed the dirt off her dress and continued walking.

**POV Yang, Roman, Mercury**

            “Okay, that’s good enough for today. You guys can stop,” Roman said.

            Mercury and Yang looked at each other and glared. Yang put up more of a fight than Mercury was expecting. They were both out of breath.

            Mercury glared at Yang one more time before he turned away and put his hands in his pockets. “Whatever. That was easy. Am I done here finally?” Mercury asked.

            “Yes. You can leave now,” Roman said.

            “Awesome. Catch you losers later,” Mercury said and walked away.

            Roman looked at Yang and smiled. He walked up to her and handed her a cold drink he got from the bar. “ You did well. You can head home for the day. How about we meet again tomorrow here at the same time? I need time to go over what I saw and which ideas need improvement,” Roman said,

            “Okay. Thank you,” Yang said and sat at the bar.

            “We should talk more tomorrow as well. I have a lot I need to tell you. There’s a lot you don’t know about here. You need to find out the truth,” Roman said.

            Yang was tired and didn’t want to analyze what he said at the moment. She just sat at the bar and waited drank her drink. She wanted to relax before heading back so it didn’t look strange.

            Roman tipped his hat to her and started heading to the back room. “Be careful blondie. It is getting dark soon. The woods are dangerous.” Roman said and left the room.

            Yang stayed at the bar and finished her drink. She felt more relaxed and decided it was time to leave. She got up and headed out the front door. She saw the sun had started setting. It would be dark in a few minutes because of the shorter days during this time of year. She quickly headed to Weiss’s castle to see her friends.

**POV Ruby**

The first thing she remembered was the sound of dripping water. It was the only noise to fill the eerie silence. The echo of it hitting the floor was only thing that made Ruby realize she was awake.

            Her head was killing her, and she felt exhausted even though she had just woken up. She didn’t want to open her eyes. She just decided lay wherever she was for a few moments before she did.

            Her back was against something hard and cold. She could only assume it was some sort of rock. The ground felt like it was made of the same material of the wall. The sound of the echoing made her guess she was in some enclosed area. She didn’t feel like she was outside because she could not hear the sound of leaves blowing in the wind. She couldn’t even feel the wind hitting her body. She just felt cold.

            She was trying to remember the last thing that happened to her. It was seemed so fuzzy. She remembered being at Weiss’s house. She remembered sneaking out to go to the cabin to get her cloak. She remembered getting her cloak and going downstairs.

            The memories were coming back to her slowly. She didn’t want to remember them. Adam was at the cabin. They spoke and then she left. She was walking back to Weiss’s house when she was attacked.

            Ruby felt her heart start pounding in her chest. A man tried to kill her. She didn’t want to fight him. The fight seemed to flash in her mind. There were screams and so much blood. She remembers the man running at her and then blood, so much blood. After the blood was darkness.

            She finally decided it was time to open her eyes. She did so slowly. She didn’t know what to expect. Did Adam find her and take her somewhere? Where was she? The surroundings before Ruby became clear and visible.

 

           

 

 


	20. Found

**Chapter 20**

**Found**

**POV Ruby**

Ruby looked around the room. It seemed familiar. She thought for a moment before she realized where she was. She was in the cave that she used to meet Weiss in before they became friends, when she was a wolf pup and Weiss would pet her and talk to her. Those nights was nice. Things have changed so much since then.

            Ruby tried to move, but a sharp pain stopped her. She whimpered and let her body rest against the wall of the cave once again.

“You shouldn’t move. Your wound isn’t healed yet,” A calm voice said.

            Ruby eyed around the room in search of the voice. She didn’t see anyone. She called out “Who are you?”

            The wolf man appeared before her. He seemed much larger in size compared to how he usually looked when he appeared to Ruby. He sat down in front of her and looked at her. “I ask myself the same question sometimes,” He replied.

            Ruby looked at him in the eyes. He seemed different than how he usually was. His eyes seemed softer and more gentle than their usual sharp and aggressive demeaner. He looked paler and physically weaker as well.

            “Why are we here?” Ruby asked.

            “You don’t remember what happened?” The man asked Ruby.

            Ruby shook her head in response. She felt another sharp pain and decided that body language probably wasn’t the best form of communication right now. She looked at the man again. He did seem so much larger in appearance than he usually was. It was strange.

            “Why are you so much taller?” Ruby asked.

            The wolf man gave off a small laugh. “I’m not taller. You just got smaller, kid,” He said.

            The answer confused Ruby for a moment. She looked down at her hands and that answered her question. She was a wolf pup right now. Her red cloak was wrapped around her to keep her warm. “How can you understand me?” Ruby asked.

            “You act like it’s strange I can understand a wolf. I’m inside your head, kid. I can turn into a wolf. It’s not hard. Don’t hurt yourself by thinking too much,” He joked. Ruby could see some of the wolf man’s normal attitude start to surface again.

            “You still haven’t told me what happened,” Ruby commented.

            The wolf man looked into her eyes for a moment before answering. He rubbed his face and gave her a serious look before he spoke. “You are not going to like what I am going to tell you,” The wolf man said to her.

            “I need to know what happened,” Ruby said.

            “How much do you remember?” He asked her.

            “I remember leaving the castle to get my cloak. When I got to the cabin, I went downstairs and Adam was there. We spoke, and then I left. When I was walking back, a White Fang member attacked me. I remember screaming, blood, and then everything went black,” Ruby said.

            “Adam sent some weakling to kill us. The guy attacked us and you warned him to leave. He ignored you and ended up slicing your stomach a little bit. You took his sword. He came at you again, and you stabbed him with his own weapon. It went straight through his body. He bled a lot,” The wolf man said.

            “What?” Ruby said. She felt her body going numb.

            “What do you mean what? You know exactly what I mean,” The wolf man said.

            “You’re lying. You have to be lying,” Ruby whimpered.

            “You killed a man, Ruby Rose,” The wolf man said with a smile.

            Ruby couldn’t speak, she had lost her voice. She felt sick. She crawled out of her cloak and threw up on the cave floor. The wolf man watched her and started to laugh.

            “It was a beautiful kill, Ruby. There was so much blood. It was a wonder. I had not tasted blood in so long,” The man said.

            Ruby lay on the cave floor. She started breathing hard.

            “Shit. Why are you freaking out? What’s done is done. Killing someone isn’t a big deal. I’ve done it so many times that I’ve lost count. It was sort of priceless seeing your face when you looked over at his dead body though. Once you realized what you had done, I saw your eyes become weak and you started to stumble. You fell onto the ground right next to his body. You got his blood all over you. It was kind of funny,” The wolf man said.

            Ruby looked over at the pile of her clothes. He was right. They were covered in blood. She saw the cut in the shirt from where the dagger has sliced her. The memories of what had happened returned to her, and she now saw recalled the fight. At least up until she passed out. She couldn’t believe it. She wanted it to be a dream, a nightmare, but it wasn’t. This was real. She killed someone.

            She looked back at the wolf man. He was looking at her with a straight face. She wanted to speak, but she couldn’t find words. He smirked.

“I know what you are thinking, my little rose. What happened after you passed out? Well, I couldn’t just leave you there. You were bleeding in the middle of the woods. Adam could have sent other people after you. Since you were unconscious, I took over your body. I dragged the dead body off of the trail and cut him up into little pieces. I had to taste his blood because it had been so long. Once he was in tiny pieces, I dug some holes and buried him. No one will come looking for him or even care that he’s dead. He was just some low level gang member. The city will be happy he’s dead, and the White Fang has plenty of grunts to spare.

            “Once the body was hidden, I went to this cave and used the lake water to clean your wounds the best I could. You should probably get them cleaned up properly later. After that, I came in this cave and turned into a wolf. I removed your clothes and wrapped you in the cloak before I stopped controlling your body and waited for you to wake up.”

            Oh yeah! You’ve been asleep for almost 24 hours by the way. Your buddies are probably wondering where you are. They might even think you are dead,” The wolf man said.

            He looked at Ruby, who was on the ground. Her eyes looked dead and dark, her body frail. She was shaking and quietly whimpering. Her fur was dirty and covered in blood.

            “You know, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt if you have just killed him to begin with. You knew you could easily take him, but you were weak and scared. That’s why you got hurt. You need to learn not to be afraid to take action. In the real world, you need to act fast or it will be too late. You’re lucky you are alive.

            “This isn’t going to be the last time something like this happens. Hell, it might even happen to your sister, Blake, or even Weiss. Could you live with yourself if you saw Weiss get hurt when you know you could do something? Don’t be afraid of who you are Ruby. Accept yourself.

            “You’re lucky I took over your body. You know that right? You might have died if you stayed out there. I only did it because I am in your head. I’m not sure what happens to me if you die. I am not taking any chances.

            “Stop being afraid. Let this be a lesson to you. They won’t hesitate to attack you. You shouldn’t either. They won’t think twice about killing you, and they won’t give a fuck if you are dead,” The wolf man said.

            Ruby hated him. She knew what happened was right. She knew killing wasn’t right. Part of her understood what he was saying though, and he was right. She needed to act better than how she did. If she had, she wouldn’t have been hurt and lost in the woods for a whole day.

            Could the grunt’s death have been avoided though? The damage was done now. She was still out in the woods and in danger. She needed to get up and head to the castle where it was safe. She could think about the rest later.

            Ruby thought about what the others would say when they saw her. Could she tell them what happened? Could she tell them she killed someone? She didn’t know. Ruby felt weak and knew her condition would get worse if not properly treated.

            She changed back into her human form. The wolf man quietly watched her. She groaned and struggled to stand on her feet. The cut in her stomach burned. She looked down at her naked body. She was covered in blood and dirt. The cut looked bad. She hoped it wasn’t infected.

            She held on to the wall of the cave and dragged herself over to her clothes. She struggled to put them on. She picked up her weapon and attached it to her side. She picked up her special cloak and put it on over herself. She put the hood over her face.

            She started walking to the exit of the cave. It hurt to move but she had to get out. She had to go to the castle. She imagined Weiss’s face when she got to the gate. She would be angry and ask where she was and how she got so dirty. Weiss really was a clean freak.

            She was hoping they wouldn’t question her when she got back. She was tired and honestly she didn’t think she could speak, even if she wanted too.

            The pain in her stomach shot through her again, and she fell onto her knees and cried out in pain. The wolf man moved over next to her and looked at her with a serious expression.

            “What do you think you are doing, you idiot? You’re going to reopen the wound! It’s going to start bleeding again,” The wolf man said.

            “ _We have to get out of here. We have to go to the castle where it is safe. We don’t know if more people are looking for us,”_ Ruby thought.

            He glared at her before standing back up. “Whatever. Do what you want. You better not fucking die. Once you get to the castle, you should rest and take care of that body of yours. I need it,” He said and disappeared.

            Ruby was left alone. She looked down at her stomach. He was right. The wound had reopened and was starting bleeding again. She decided to fight and ignore the pain. She stood up and exited the cave.

            It was a clear night. It was quiet, and the full moon glowed in the sky. It was cold and windy, but Ruby’s cape helped protect her from the elements. Ruby was glad that  she knew where she was. She had been to this cave multiple times and now knew how to get back to Weiss’s castle from it.

            She slowly started walking. She didn’t want to push herself and increase the bleeding. She felt slow and weak. She knew it was going to take her awhile to get back to the castle, and she couldn’t use her semblance because she was drained of energy.

            She wasn’t just physically drained, but emotionally drained as well. She didn’t even know how to process what had happened to her. She just knew she had to keep moving forward and head home. She wanted to make sure the others were not worried.

            Ruby set off and headed back home. It wasn’t going to be an easy walk. It wasn’t going to be an easy night. Most nights weren’t easy for her though. She had known this from a very young age.

            **POV Weiss**

            Weiss had been searching the woods for Ruby for a few hours now, and it was dark out. She knew she had to head back to the castle soon, or she would be putting herself in danger. That wouldn’t help her or Ruby. She hated the fact that she had to give up on the search and go back empty handed. Yang was sure to notice that Ruby was gone, and she would go off looking.

            Maybe that wouldn’t be a bad thing though. Yang was big and strong. Weiss was smart. Maybe the search for Ruby could continue if Yang was out here with Weiss.

            Weiss had not found any more clues that might tell her what happened to Ruby or where she was. Not since she had come across the bag of games and blood on the trail from earlier. It was like Ruby had just disappeared. From the amount of blood she found at the scene she was expecting to find a trail of it leading somewhere else, but there was nothing.

            She hated herself right now. Ruby was the first person to care about her, the first person who wanted to be her friend. Ruby didn’t care about Weiss’s family or her money. Ruby liked her for who she was. Weiss never told her how much that meant to her.

            She didn’t want to stop looking. She couldn’t stand the idea that Ruby was out somewhere in the middle of the night. She could be hurt. She had no way to tell if that blood was Ruby’s or not, but she did know one thing: there was a lot of blood.

            Weiss continued walking back to her castle. She wasn’t far from it now. She was probably about 10 minutes away. She was lost in her thoughts as she walked, her head hung low as she looked at the ground. She had a sad expression on her face, an expression of defeat.

            Something on the ground snapped her out of it though. It was blood. It was bright red, which told Weiss that the blood was fresh. Whoever was bleeding wasn’t here very long ago. It was a small pool, but it was very clearly what it was. Weiss looked up ahead of her. There were more spots of blood on the trail.       

            She ran along the trail and followed them. Her heart was racing. A thousand questions were going through her head. She ran faster than she had run in a long time.

            Her feet stopped when her eyes found a familiar figure in front of her. It was a small girl in a red hooded cloak. The cloak that Ruby worn so many times before tonight. The hood was covering the girl’s head, but she knew it had to be Ruby.

            “Ruby!” Weiss called out. She walked quickly to the girl. She was still catching her breath from running so quickly.

            Ruby tensed up when she heard Weiss’s voice. “ _I’m not ready to explain what happened. I don’t want her to see me like this…”_ Ruby thought to herself and continued to walk.

            She could not walk very fast because of her injuries. She could barely walk at all. It was more like she was dragging herself along the trail. Weiss easily caught up to her.

            She approached Ruby from behind. She couldn’t see Ruby’s face, but she already felt better. “Ruby! I’ve been looking for you all day. I couldn’t focus on my school work because I was worried about you!” Weiss said. She wanted to appear tough and not admit that she had been a mess worrying about Ruby all day.

            Ruby stopped walking and stood in place. She didn’t say a word. She didn’t turn to look at Weiss. Her arms were at her side under the cloak and the hood covered her face.

            “Where have been all day?” Weiss asked.

            Ruby didn’t move or respond to Weiss’s question.

            “Ruby? Are you listening to me?” Weiss asked.

            Ruby did not change at all.

            Weiss walked in front of Ruby and faced her. She noticed how dirty Ruby’s cloak was. It looked like a mixture of dirt and blood. Weiss couldn’t see all of Ruby’s face, but what little amount of skin was visible looked unnaturally pale.

            Weiss slowly moved her hand to Ruby’s face and removed the hood. Her eyes widened when she saw Ruby’s face. The pale girl’s face was covered in blood. Her hair was a mess. The feature that bothered her the most, the thing that hurt Weiss’s heart, was Ruby’s eyes. The normally pale gray eyes were dark and lifeless. She looked dead. She couldn’t tell what had happened. Her face was emotionless and dead.

            Weiss gently placed her hand on Ruby’s cheek. “What happened to you?” She softly asked Ruby. A tear rolled down her face as she asked Ruby. Ruby didn’t respond. She made no sound. Her eyes moved and looked into Weiss’s eyes. They were unreadable.

            Ruby slowly undid the button of her cloak and revealed the rest of her body hidden under it. Weiss’s eyes looked down at Ruby’s body. She was covered in blood and dirt everywhere. Weiss felt more tears start falling down her face uncontrollably when she saw the cut on her stomach.

            The wound had reopened and was bleeding. The cut didn’t look incredibly deep, but it looked bad. It was dirty, and that could lead to an infection. Weiss was crying in earnest now. It was the first time she had let any other human see her cry, to see so much raw emotion.

            Her biggest fear was that Ruby had been killed. Ruby was here and alive, but she was hurt. She didn’t know what happened, and she didn’t know how long Ruby had been out here. She didn’t know what caused Ruby to look so broken. What she did know was that Ruby was here now and she had to do everything in her power to help this girl, to help her friend, to help the person she cared so much about.

            She wrapped her arms around Ruby and held the girl against her. She  rested her head against Ruby’s forehead and closed her eyes. She felt tears coming out. She held Ruby close. She didn’t want to let go.

            When Weiss eventually opened her eyes, she was met with Ruby’s gray ones. “I’m sorry,” Ruby softly said. Her voice cracked when she spoke.

            “Why are you apologizing?” Weiss said in a quiet voice.

            “I’m getting your clothes dirty,” Ruby weakly said.

            Weiss gave her a quiet laugh. “You dolt. That doesn’t matter,” Weiss said. She slowly let go of the embrace with Ruby. She slid her hand down to Ruby’s and held on. She didn’t want to let go of Ruby.

            “Let’s get you home. I’ll make you a nice warm bath. After that, I’m going to clean and treat your wounds, and then you are going to have some much needed rest,” Weiss said.

            They started to walk to Weiss’s castle. She realized Ruby couldn’t walk very fast, so she kept a slow pace.  Neither of them spoke during the walk. Weiss had so many questions going through her head, but she knew it wasn’t the time or the place to ask them right now. Right now, the priority was making sure Ruby was okay. Nothing else mattered.

            Once Weiss opened the door to her home, she helped Ruby inside. Weiss looked around for Blake or Yang. The coast was clear. She helped Ruby get up the stairs with Ruby using her a crutch.

            They got to the floor that Weiss’s and Ruby’s rooms were on, and Weiss walked them to her own bedroom door and opened it. “We’re going to use my bathroom. It’s bigger and has more supplies in it. The bathtub is bigger as well,” Weiss told her.

            Ruby remained silent. They entered the bathroom, and Weiss headed to the bathtub and turned on the water. She waited a moment and placed her hand under the water to test the temperature and see if it needed adjustments.

            “Strip and get in the tub. I’m going to go to your room and get you a change of clothes. Once you are in the tub I’ll be back to get the clothes you are wearing now and put them in the washer,” Weiss told Ruby.

            Ruby undressed slowly. Weiss watched Ruby and studied her stomach. The wound looked bad. Weiss frowned. Ruby looked at her, and Weiss noticed and snapped out of her depression and focused on the now. She picked up Ruby’s clothes and left the room.

            Ruby slowly got into the tub. The warm water felt good the moment she got in. She sat there and didn’t move. She looked down at the water. It was already turning a reddish brown color.

            Weiss came back a few moments later with a new pair of clothes. She looked over at Ruby and saw how pale her body was. She looked dead. She knew Ruby had to wash herself to get the dirt and blood completely off but she doubted Ruby could do it herself.

            She felt awkward thinking about helping Ruby bathe. She had never really seen another person naked before. She pushed her discomforts to the back for her head and picked up a wash cloth. She poured a gentle liquid soap onto it and sat next to the bathtub.

            “I’m going to help you, if that’s alright,” Weiss said.

            Ruby gave her a small nod. Weiss slowly rubbed the cloth over Ruby’s body. While she did this, she was able to study the girl’s body closer. Her skin was very pale, but the one positive thing Weiss discovered was that the stomach wound looked like the only injury Ruby had. It made Weiss wonder where all the blood had come from though.

            The room was silent while Weiss was helping Ruby. Weiss felt like she should lighten the mood somehow. She didn’t expect Ruby to speak, but she could at least tell Ruby a story or something to hopefully distract her.

            “You know you are a dolt, right? When I was looking for you, I found your video games. You shouldn’t have risked your life for some games,” Weiss said.

Ruby remained silent.

            “I’ll tell you a secret though,” Weiss said with a sigh.

            Ruby made eye contact with her.

            “I actually like video games….They were fun when we played them. Don’t tell anyone I told you though. I don’t want people knowing that I like something so simple minded,” Weiss said.

            Ruby gave her a small smile. “You really like them?” She quietly asked. It almost sounded like a whisper.

            Weiss nodded her head. “There’s actually a thought process behind games. I didn’t know they were so complex,” She said.

            Once Weiss finished washing Ruby she stood up and grabbed a towel. She handed it to Ruby and she put it on. Ruby slowly got out of the tub. Weiss handed her a pair of pj pants. “You shouldn’t wear a shirt. I’m going to treat and wrap the wound,” Ruby nodded and put the pants on.

Weiss pointed to a chair and Ruby sat down in it.  Weiss found her medical kit and walked up to Ruby. She placed a cream on the wound. It stung, but Ruby ignored the pain. Weiss wrapped up the wound and looked at Ruby. “Well the good news is I think I can help it heal properly, so it won’t scar,” Weiss said.

“How did you learn so much about medical stuff, Weiss?” Ruby whispered.

“I had to learn when I lived with my family…” Weiss answered.

“Is that how you got the scar on your eye?” Ruby asked.

“Yes,” Weiss answered. Ruby looked at her with a worried look. It was nice to see, even though Ruby had so much to deal with, that she was still concerned about Weiss. “That story is for another time though. You need rest,” Weiss said.

 

            Ruby slowly got up and Weiss helped her over to her bed. Ruby got under the covers and smiled at Weiss. “I will be in my room but if you need anything please call me or come to my room. I don’t care what time it is or if the reason you need me is silly. I am here for you. I don’t know what happened when you were in the woods but I hope you can talk to me about it eventually.” Weiss told Ruby.

            Ruby nodded her head and started closing her eyes. Weiss walked over to the door and turned off the lasts before she opened the door and went into the hall. She closed the door behind her.

            She was glad she found Ruby and she was glad Ruby was safe but now a whole new set of questions were running through her mind. “ _What happened to you Ruby?”_ Weiss thought to herself.

            “Hey Weiss! I have been looking for you!” Yang said loudly. Weiss jumped when she heard Yang. She looked over and saw Yang in the hallway. “Have you seen Ruby? I have not seen her for awhile.” Yang asked.

            “She is asleep in her room.” Weiss said.

            Yang approached her and her eyes scanned Weiss’s body and then her purple eyes went wide. “Weiss what happened to you? You outfit is covered in dirty….” Yang paused and then her voice became louder and shocked. “Is that blood on you?” Yang asked.

            There was no way Weiss could hide it from Yang. She knew lying to Yang would only cause problems in the future. With Ruby in the condition she was currently in Yang would find out.

            Weiss sighed and gestured Yang to follow her into Weiss’s own bedroom. Weiss opened the door and went inside and Yang followed her. Weiss thought it was kind of sweet how the fun loving party girl became I worried and protective person within moments.

            Yang closed the door behind her. Weiss sat on her bed and Yang sat next to her. Weiss looked at Yang. Yang was staring at her with a concerned expression. It made Weiss nervous about her reaction for what Weiss was about to confess to her.

Weiss took a deep breath before she spoke. “Ruby went missing. I didn’t want to worry you so I didn’t tell you.” Yang tensed up and her face started changing to anger. Her eyes started turning red. Weiss spoke the next part more quickly. “I found her tonight. She was upset and covered in blood. She is safe now and resting. She did get hurt but she will recover. It is not life threatening.” Weiss told her.

Yang relaxed slightly. She looked at Weiss with red eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Yang asked. Weiss frowned.

“I didn’t want you leaving the house and putting yourself in danger.” Weiss explained.

Yang put a strong arm on Weiss’s shoulder. Weiss flinched. “Weiss we are friends. We are in this together. Do not keep secrets from me. We are a team now and I would hope you would be able to tell me issues that are happening even if you are worried about my reaction.” Yang said. Her grip on Weiss became looser and more gentle. “I wish you would have told me.” Yang said in a more calm voice. Her eyes faded back to purple.

Weiss nodded at Yang and Yang pulled her into a tight embrace. “I am glad she is okay.” Yang said quietly.

Yang got up and headed to the door. “Please let Ruby rest. I know you want to talk to her but she is not ready right now.” Weiss said to her.

“I just want to see her.” Yang told her and headed out of Weiss’s room and closed the door behind her.

Yang walked over to Ruby’s bedroom. She slowly opened the door. She only opened it enough so she could look inside. She looked over at the bed Ruby was in. The small black haired girl was asleep in bed. Yang saw her bandaged stomach and tensed up slightly. Ruby’s face was relaxed and she was breathing slowly.

Yang quietly closed the door and started walking to her own floor. “ _Just another reason why I need to get stronger, another reason why I need to keep seeing Roman.”_ Yang thought to herself.

**POV Ruby**

Ruby laid in her bed. She woke up when she heard a door shut. She turned her head over to that direction. The door was closed. “ _Someone must have checked in on me.”_ Ruby thought.

Her sore body suddenly tensed up when she heard the familiar and hated laugh of the wolf man. He appeared sitting on the end on the bed facing her.

“I’m glad you got back safely my little rose. I wonder how your friends will feel when they discover you are a murderer. You might as well embrace.” The wolf man said.

Ruby didn’t speak. She was tired and weak. Her body tensed up when he spoke to her. He noticed this and gave her a toothy grin. His white fangs glowed in the dark. He slowly started crawling over to her until he was on top of her and they were face to face.

“What are you so afraid of?” He asked her.

Ruby stayed tensed and tears started to form from her eyes. The wolf man frowned and spoke again “What are you afraid of? You have nothing to fear.” He said to her.

“ _I’m afraid of myself. I am afraid of what I can do. I’m afraid I am going to hurt people I care about.”_ Ruby thought. The wolf man could hear her thoughts and smiled.

“You shouldn’t be afraid of something that cannot be avoided. It doesn’t matter if you are not normal. Everyone hurts people. People hurt those they care about. It’s your choice how to react to that though. You are a kind and gentle soul. You are not like me. You still have your humanity. As a human you should know that no one is perfect.” The wolf man said.

Ruby felt herself start to silently cry. She knew he was right. She hated him but there was no use denying what he was saying to her. He smiled at her.

His hand slowly dragged down her body and rested on the wound covered in bandages. Ruby gasp at the pain and tried to move. The man kept her pinned. “Don’t move. I share a body with you. I might as well help you take care of it. I am just speeding up the healing process. I will only do this if you want me to though.” He said to her.

She chocked up some words. “You are going to heal the wound?” Ruby asked quietly.

“Yes. It is a perk to being a monster.” He said to her.

“Okay.” Ruby said.

The wolf man grinned at her his red eyes became sharper. The man started to look for like a beast in his eyes, even though the rest of him still looked human. Ruby felt pressure on her stomach and then a strange feeling. It felt like a light tickle. It didn’t hurt.

He released his hand from her stomach and then looked into Ruby’s eyes with a serious look. “Accept who you are.” He said to her. Ruby frowned.

Ruby couldn’t accept it. She couldn’t accept the fact that she killed a man, the fact that she was a murderer. She was scared she was turning into the monster she was trying hard to deny.


	21. The Masks To Hide My Fears

**Chapter 21**

**The Mask to Hide My Fears**

**POV Weiss**

            Weiss woke up like she did on any other school day. She took a shower, got dressed, and went downstairs to eat a quick breakfast before she headed out to class. When she went downstairs to get breakfast, she was greeted by Yang and Blake.

            She was surprised that they both always beat her downstairs in the morning. She always assumed that Yang would take ages to do her hair, and Blake would wait for her. Weiss loved sleeping though, and that must have factored into why she was always last coming downstairs.

            “Ready for school?” Blake asked Weiss after they finished eating.

            “Yes, I am,” Weiss said. Yang looked over at both of them and smiled.

            They agreed to leave Ruby alone for the day and let her rest. Ruby needed her space. Weiss explained that Ruby’s wound was bad, but not life threatening. She told them that Ruby needed to sleep though. It looked like Ruby had not gotten a good night rest for a few days.

            Blake, Yang, and Weiss headed to school, and once they got there, they split up. Weiss walked to her class silently. Once she got to the classroom, she sat down in her regular spot and got her notebook and pen out to get ready to take notes. Her eyes went wide with surprise when she saw Ruby entering the classroom.

            Ruby walked in with a smile on her face. She was talking to her friend Penny and they were both laughing. Weiss was so confused. Ruby was acting like nothing had happened. She didn’t look weak. She wasn’t walking like she was injured. She was acting hyper and bubbly like she usually was.

            Ruby sat down at her desk right next to Weiss and smiled at her before she got out her own notebook and pencil.  Weiss looked at her with a confused expression and mouthed to Ruby, “Are you alright?” 

Ruby gave Weiss a gentle smile and a nod of her head.

            The teacher entered the room, and the lecture began. Weiss took notes, but kept looking over at Ruby. Ruby was doodling in her notebook. She wasn’t writing down her lecture notes, but this wasn’t strange at all. Ruby always doodled in class.

            The rest of class was similar to what it was like everyday. It made Weiss feel uneasy. Ruby was moving  around and acting like she always did. She was happy and bubbly. The night before Ruby was a mess. She was physically weak and mentally tried. She barely spoke, and, when she did, it was not about what had happened.

            When the bell rang for lunch time, Ruby dashed out of the classroom before Weiss could speak to her. Weiss went to their regular meeting spot for lunch and Ruby was not there.  Weiss felt very uneasy.

            She sat down and opened up her box lunch. She did not eat during lunch. She just stared at her food. She wasn’t hungry.

            Classes in the afternoon were just like they were in the morning. Ruby acted normal. When Weiss asked where Ruby had gone during lunch time, Ruby just said she had a meeting and couldn’t eat lunch that day.

            **POV Ruby**

When class ended, Ruby ran ahead of Weiss. Weiss called out for Ruby, but Ruby kept running. Weiss knew she couldn’t catch up to Ruby. Her semblance was speed, and she had large amounts of energy compared to Weiss.

            When Ruby got to Weiss’s castle, she immediately ran to her room and locked the door behind her. The room was dark. The windows were blocked and no sunlight entered the room. All the lights were off.

Ruby stood in front of the mirror and took her shirt off. She frowned when she looked at her own reflection in the mirror. She was thin and pale, but that was normal. She always looked like this. That was the problem. It was strange. She was covered in blood and had a cut across her stomach the day before.

She ran a hand across her stomach where the cut used to be. There wasn’t even a mark. It didn’t feel any different. It was as if it never happened.

“ _So this is one of the powers of the wolf,”_ Ruby thought to herself. She had to admit. The ability to heal wounds was appealing, but that didn’t change what had happened. She had murdered a man. It might have been out of self defense, but that didn’t matter. There was blood on her hands. She couldn’t get the memories out of her head.

She knew no matter how great the healing ability the wolf man had given her was, she would never be able to fix how she was feeling. Emotional wounds were different from physical ones.

            She had no idea how she could make herself feel better. It felt impossible. Even worse, she had no idea how she would tell her friends. They would look at her differently. They would think she was a monster. Everything would change. She didn’t want to scare Weiss.

            Ruby thought about how Weiss would see her. Weiss be scared of her. She would not want to speak to Ruby again. She would not want to talk to Ruby. Then, Ruby thought about telling Weiss about the wolf inside her. That would be the drawing line. Weiss would hate her. She would not want to be Ruby’s friend anymore.

            Ruby fell onto her bed and grabbed a pillow. She pulled it against her chest and held it tight. She whispered into the pillow, “How could anyone love a monster?”.

            Ruby decided she would spend the rest of the day in her room. That was the plan.

**POV Weiss**

            Weiss watched as Ruby ran away. Weiss frowned. She hoped that Ruby was heading to the castle. Weiss entered the forest and started heading home. She frowned thinking about Ruby and what she must have been feeling. Weiss had no idea. She wished she could help.

            Weiss played over what had happened last night. Her biggest clue was the scene with the videogame materials and blood. She could only assume Ruby was attacked by someone or something when she was coming back from getting her videogames.

            Weiss stopped in her tracks. She had an idea.

“ _I might not know what Ruby is feeling right now, but there is something I can do. Maybe it will make her feel slightly better,”_ Weiss thought and turned around and headed back to town.

            She walked for about 20 minutes before she got to the place she was looking for. She was at a videogame store. She felt slightly uncomfortable about entering it. This kind of thing wasn’t really her style. She didn’t know what was good or what was considered the ideal gaming layout.

            She entered the store, and her eyes went wide. There had to be thousands of games around her, dozens of consoles, and more gaming accessories than she knew what to do with.  A worker saw her confusion and approached her.

“Hello, young lady. How may I help you?” The young man asked her with a smile.

“I want to make the best gaming room possible. I do not know anything about video games.” Weiss said.

“A gaming room? That sounds exciting! Do you know what console you want?” The worker asked.

Weiss frowned and thought. “I don’t know. What is the difference between each console?” Weiss asked.

“Well, we have the Wii and Wii U! Those are more family friendly or for party gamers. We have the PS3 and PS4. The PS4 is the newer model and is very nice. The Xbox 360 and Xbox One are also very good! The Xbox One is the latest version of the two. Xbox and PlayStation are very similar but have a few games that are special only for that console,” The worker explained.

Weiss was lost. She had no idea what anything he was saying meant. She knew nothing of the gaming community.

“I’ll take all of them,” She stated.

The worker went wide eyed. “Are you sure? Alright! What games would you like to buy for each console? I could explain the ideas behind some of the game genres….” The worker started to say.

Weiss interrupted him. “I’ll buy all of them. I will also be buying all the accessories for each console as well,”  Weiss said.

The worker looked shocked but shook it off. “Alright. It might take me a few minutes to ring everything up,” he said to her.

“That’s fine. I will be calling a ride to pick up all the stuff,” Weiss said and took out her phone. She called one of her butlers. He would be there in a few minutes with a car to drive everything back to the castle. She also arranged for some of her family’s workers to create a gaming room with multiple large TVs and surround sound.

She gave the worker her debit card and paid for all the items. Her butler came in and loaded everything into the car and they drove back to her castle. She thanked the butler and gave him instructions for setting up the gaming room.

Blake was in the living room with a book. She raised her eyebrow and turned her head slightly at Weiss. She gave Weiss a small grin. Weiss felt her face flush. She knew what Blake was implying. “Shut up.” Weiss said and headed to her room.

Blake turned the page in her book and gave out a small chuckle. She thought what Weiss was doing was sweet.

**POV Yang**

Yang entered the club again. The moment she entered the club all eyes were on her. She could tell the grunts were not her biggest fans and did not like the fact she was at the club. She smiled and shrugged it off.

“I’m back! You guys miss me?” She joked to all of them.

She walked up to the bar and ordered a strawberry sunrise while she waited for Roman to appear. Junior was behind the bar and making small talk with her. “So, what’s a girl like yourself doing working for a man like him. You’re nothing like him. I can tell. You are good. You might be slightly rebellious and adventurous, but you are not gang member material.” Junior said to her.

“It’s a long story, Junior. My family is in a lot of trouble, and I want to make sure they are safe. Roman is giving me the training I need,” Yang told him.

“You don’t know what mess you are getting yourself into, kid. If I had the chance, I would go back in time and make sure I never had gotten involved with the shady people that made me become the person I am now. When I was younger, I wanted to open up a nice high end restaurant. As you can see though, that never happened. I now run an underground network of connections for different gangs. I sell people for hire and help clean up after other people’s dirty work,” Junior told her. He frowned.

Yang was about to reply but Roman appeared behind her. His gloved hand gently nudged at her shoulder and she turned around to look at him.

“I’m glad to see you again, blondie! Are you ready for today’s training? It is going to be another fighting exercise. I want to watch you. Tomorrow will be more of a lecture. Today you will be fighting Junior’s lovely twins!” Roman said and pointed at two girls behind him. They were both pouting and had their arms crossed. One of them was wearing red while the other one was in white. They looked very similar in haircut, body type, makeup, and attitude. They even spoke at the same time.

Yang quickly finished her drink and stood up. She looked back at Junior. He looked at her with an expression somewhere between anger and disappointment. She gave him a small smile before following Roman.

Roman called out and had the dance floor cleared for them. The twins stood on one end and Yang stood and the other. They waited for Roman’s command before they started to fight.

The fight didn’t last long before Roman told everyone to stop. Yang noticed the twins were a lot easier to fight then the guy she had fought yesterday.

The twins frowned and stormed off the stage and headed to the bar. They started speaking to Junior. Yang couldn’t hear what they were saying but didn’t really care. Roman tossed her a towel and grinned.

“Wipe off that sweat. Let’s head to the back room and do some weightlifting.” Roman said and started heading to a room. Yang followed him.

A huge grin appeared on Yang’s face when she entered the room. It was like a dream come true. The room was filled with a large variety of different types of weight machines. There were single weights as well. There were also a number of treadmills and other fitness equipment. It was Yang’s ideal workout room.

Roman smirked at Yang when he saw her face. “See something you like, Blondie?” He asked her.

“This place is awesome! It is the best workout room I have ever seen!” Yang said with a goofy grin on her face.

“This? Pssh. This is nothing, kid. I’m glad you like it though,” Roman said to her.

Yang started running from machine to machine and examining the different features each one had. Roman watched her for a moment before speaking.

“How about you do some weight lifting for awhile? I would love to see how much you can bench,” Roman said.

Yang smiled and grabbed some weights and started to load them into one of the machines. “Get ready to be impressed!” Yang said.

She laid down and grabbed the bar that supported the weights and became to lift them. She was benching 200 pounds easily. Roman watched her. He noticed she was barely trying. He hummed.

“How about we make it more of a challenge?” Roman asked her.

She put the bar down and Roman loaded more weights. She was now benching 400 pounds. It was harder and Roman could see her working harder to lift the weights. “Impressive. I don’t know many people that can bench that much. It’s a surprise from looking at you,” Roman said in a cheeky voice.

“Is it because I am a girl?” Yang asked as she lifted the weights again.

“No, not at all. Girls are dangerous. I learned that the hard way. My ex wife is one of the most dangerous people I have ever met,” Roman said with a laugh.

Yang gave out a laugh. Roman smiled at her. He turned around and saw Neo was in the room.

“Hello, Neo! What’s up?” Roman asked.

Yang stopped lifting weights and sat up. She watched as Neo looked at Roman. Yang never saw Neopolitan speak, but Roman always seemed to know what the small girl was saying.

“Thank you, Neopolitan,” Roman said. The girl grinned and turned and left the room.

“Is that her?” Yang asked.

“Who? My ex wife? No way. Neopolitan is my assistant. She has known me longer than anyone.” Roman said. He seemed to be trailing off and getting lost in thought.

“I think that should be enough training for today. Good job, kiddo. How about you head home?” Roman said.

“All right. See you later,” Yang said and headed to the door.

“Same time tomorrow,” Roman said.

“Gotcha,” Yang said and headed out. She left the club and started walking to Weiss’s house.

The sun had already started setting, and the sky was a bright orange color. Yang was always a huge fan of the sunset. She remembered, back when she was younger, she would go on hikes with Summer and her father, and they would sit at the top of the mountain and watch the sun set.

She always got really excited when she saw it setting. She would sit on Summer’s lap and point of different colors and shapes she saw up in the sky, and Summer would tell Yang what she saw.

Her father would just sit back and watch them with a huge smile on his face. His father was a quiet, calm, and collected man. Well, at least he was until the weight of Yang’s mother’s disappearance and Summer’s death got to him.

Yang was old enough to see the change in him. She was old enough to understand what happened. She just tried her hardest to stay positive and optimistic about life. Summer was always so happy and upbeat. She knew when she should act like a mother or a leader and when she should lighten the mood. It was a trait Yang was hoped to reflect in herself.

Even though Summer was not Yang’s biological mother, Yang always thought of her as such and looked up to her.. She didn’t remember her real mother at all. She only saw old photos of her. She wanted to meet her one day, even though that was unlikely.

Qrow always told Yang she was the rock in their small family. When everything went down, Yang stayed positive and happy. She wanted to stay positive, or else the world would fall around her. When her father shut down, she had to be the rock and take care of Ruby.

It wasn’t easy. Some days she wanted to just scream and punch the nearest object to her. Maybe that’s why she got into so many fights when she was at her old school.

Yang reflected on the week. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. She had just started training, but she could already feel improvement and that made her happy.

She was worried about Ruby though. She had no idea what happened to the girl while she was gone in the forest, but Weiss seemed to have everything under control. Yang was glad Ruby had such a great friend. That didn’t mean Yang didn’t go into “big sister protector mode” every once in a while, but it was a nice change of pace.

Blake was quiet, but that wasn’t strange.  The girl had a battle of her own. She probably was facing an internal struggle and didn’t want to worry anyone. Yang wished Blake would tell her.

Yang had known the girl for about a month, but she knew they had a special bond. They were so different but worked so well together. They balanced each other out. Blake calmed down Yang and Yang helped Blake come out of her shell.

She would do anything for Blake. She already knew it. She knew it the week she meet the black haired cat faunus. She would die for her if need be. Yang couldn’t describe the feeling she got whenever she saw Blake, but it was one of the best feelings ever. It lit up her stomach and always gave her a big grin.

Yang approached the gates to the castle and they opened up for her. She walked to the front entrance and went inside. She wanted to see Blake. They had been so busy this week that they had barely talked.

Yang found her in a place that was very predictable: the library.  The feeling in her stomach started to burn inside of her and her face lit up. “Hello there, kitty cat!” Yang cheerfully said out loud.

Blake was reading a book but looked up when she heard Yang. She gave Yang a smile and reached over to pick up a bookmark and place it in her book. She put the book down on a table next to the couch she was sitting on.

“Hello, Yang. How was your after school meeting?” Blake asked.

“Awesome!” Yang said with a smile and sat down next to Blake.

Blake’s golden eyes examined her body. “How did you get this bruise on your arm?” Blake asked and gently held Yang’s arm. Her fingertips brushed against the bruise. “It looks recent.”

“Yeah. I got it today at the club meeting,” Yang said with a nervous laugh.

“What kind of club is it anyway?” Blake asked and raised an eyebrow.

“It’s an unofficial kickboxing club. I love it!” Yang said with a smile.

Blake studied Yang’s face for a moment before letting out a soft chuckle. “That does sound like something you would be interested in joining,” Blake said with a smile.

“I love it! It’s almost everyday after school though. I wish I wasn’t so busy.”  Yang said.

“Is it every day, even on the weekends? I wanted to do something with you at some point. We haven’t hung out one-on-one in awhile.” Blake said.

Yang felt a nervous tingling sensation in her stomach again. She started laughing nervously and rubbing the back of her neck. “I will always make time for ,you Blake.” Yang said.

“Good. Let’s do something this weekend. Just you and me,” Blake said.

Yang’s face became flushed. “You got any ideas in mind for what you want to do?” Yang asked.

“Yes, but it’s a secret until this weekend.,” Blake teased her.

Yang looked at her with a sexy grin. “Please, tell me Blake. I am excited now,” Yang said and leaned in very close to Blake.

This time Blake started to blush, but she quickly shook it off. She flicked Yang’s nose and Yang’s eyes went wide in surprise.

“You will have to wait,” Blake teased.

Yang frowned but accepted the fact that Blake wouldn’t tell her. She was just happy she was going to hang out with Blake later. They both looked at each other and smiled.

“Alright, fine. I will wait,” Yang teased her back.

“Good. Now, go do your homework. I know you haven’t done it yet. I have to go meet Ruby. We are going to do a little bit of training tonight,” Blake said.

“Aw, man. I don’t want to do homework. Can’t I help you and Ruby train?” Yang suggested.

“Not tonight, Yang. This is about transformations and powers. You can’t really help. Plus, you need to do your homework. I don’t want you to start following behind grade-wise,” Blake said.

“Fine. You guys have fun!” Yang said and rubbed the top of Blake’s head and got up and ran upstairs.

Once Yang was out of the room, Blake let out the purr she had been holding in. She smiled to herself and got up and headed to the garden where she was going to meet Ruby.

**POV Ruby and Blake**

Blake got to the garden and saw Ruby already there waiting for her with a smile. Blake sat down next to her.

“You ready for tonight’s training?” Blake asked her.

“Yes! Thank you for helping me, Blake,” Ruby said.

“Before we start, I just have to ask because I care about you Ruby. Are you alright? I know something happened when you were gone and I noticed you are healed physically, but that doesn’t mean you are okay mentally. If you need to talk I’m here. I won’t push it though. I don’t know what happened, but just know I am open minded. I hope Adam didn’t do anything to you. He is good at controlling how other people feel,” Blake said.

Ruby tensed up and frowned. “He didn’t do anything. I did something. I did something really bad, but I can’t tell you guys yet. You guys won’t look at me the same when I do,” Ruby said.

Blake saw Ruby’s change in mood. “I won’t ever look at you like anything other than who you are, Ruby. I love you like a sister. Just know that once you are ready to talk, I am here. I am a good listener, and I won’t tell the others.” Blake said.

Ruby smiled slightly. “Thank you, Blake.” Ruby turned to Blake and gave her a gentle hug. Blake returned it.

After the hug had ended Blake got and looked at Ruby. “Today, I will be showing you how to use different abilities without doing a full transformation. This can be something like changing your eyes to see better in the dark, using your animal ears to hear better, better sense of  smell, even claws or fangs,” Blake said.

She suddenly extended her arms in front of her. Ruby watched as her fingernails changed into sharp cat claws and her eyes became more beast like. Blake walked up to a nearby plant and sliced it into multiple pieces with one quick swing of her arms.

“That is so cool!” Ruby said with excitement in her voice.

“It is very simple to do this. It is all in your mind. If you want claws just imagine it, and it will begin to change. If you practice enough this kind of stuff will become second nature and happen instantly.  It could save your life,” Blake said.

Ruby nodded and stood up. She focused and her hands and tried to imagine claws. She felt her body start to transform. She opened her eyes and looked at her hands. They had changed.

She looked at Blake and smiled.

“That is a good first try. You do need improvement though.” Blake said.

“What do you mean? I did it!” Ruby said.

Blake pointed to a pond and Ruby walked up to it and saw her reflection. She had grown pointed dog ears, fangs, and sharp eyes. She frowned.

“You just need practice. It takes time to master. Some people can’t control all their traits. My eyes always become more cat like when I do simple transformations. I know you got this though,” Blake said.

Ruby felt better and smiled. “Thank you,” She said to Blake.

“It’s a nice night. How about we go for a walk around the castle?” Blake suggested.

“That sounds nice!” Ruby said.

Blake transformed in front of Ruby into a small black cat with yellow eyes. Ruby was surprised at first but grinned. She focused on her transformation and became a small wolf pup.

Blake and Ruby walked together quietly around the castle. It was a large estate so the walk was long. Ruby was enjoying the night, but suddenly her heart sunk when she heard a familiar voice.

“It’s you! I haven’t seen you in weeks,” Weiss said as she was walking toward them. Ruby started to whimper. Blake noticed and stood in front of Weiss and blocked her path.

“ _Leave and get your clothes. I’ll keep her distracted,”_ Blake said to her.

Ruby nodded and ran away. Blake circled Weiss and Weiss looked confused. “Don’t run! I didn’t mean to scare you!” Weiss said. She sounded upset.

Ruby wasn’t ready to tell Weiss. She had so much on her mind. She wished she was brave enough to tell Weiss about all of this.

She got to her clothes and changed quickly and ran to her room and headed to bed for the night. She felt an emptiness inside of her. She hated feeling like this. She could just imagine the wolf man laughing at her for being so foolish.

 

 


	22. Life update and need your help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wow it has been a long time. I am sorry everyone. I had issues at the university I was attending and was not in a good place mentally for about a year. I transferred schools last year and I am finally starting to feel more like myself again.
> 
> Anyway, this sadly isn't a story update that many of you are hoping for. There is good news though. This story will be continuing up soon! Before I start writing again I would like your help. I hate reading my own writing and since it has been so long I want to make sure I pick up correctly. Would some people be able to contact me regarding the story? I have outlines but it truly has been years. I want to make sure I have character details correct. Haven't spoiled anything that hasnt been stated yet, pick up at the correct place where each characters part of the story left off, and don't just throw a random smut scene where it doesn't belong. I would love some of you to contact me in private message and possibly talk on kik or something. Thanks again!

Into the Woods will return soon! I promise.


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